Unforgettable Season
by Dustmites
Summary: Sequel to In the Headlights. Four years later and out of Hogwarts Hermione and Draco are still together. With their jobs and respective lives, will their relationship last? And with what dramas? Rated M for heavy coarse language and possible sexual scenes
1. Unforgettable Season

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, just the story line.**

**A/N:** It's me again! This is the sequel to In the Headlights, so if you haven't read that then I strongly suggest you read it before reading this, or else you might not have much of an idea of what's going on. The title is after a Cut Copy song, in case anyone is wondering. On with the story!

***

Hermione Granger was pissed off.

After a late night, the twenty-two year old had woken up to the sound of her alarm blaring, her boyfriend, Draco Malfoy, gone without a note, only to find herself running twenty minutes late. Hermione Granger was never late. She swore angrily and rolled out of bed, jumping in the shower for a quick wash before slipping into her lime green robes, the appropriate outfit for her job as a Healer. Another glance at the clock told her that she had to report to work in five minutes, so, after employing a few more choice swear words, she disapparated with a loud pop, appearing in an Apparation Safe Zone just near the entrance of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, rushing into the building which bore the sign "Purge and Dowse, Ltd" and giving a quick wave to the Welcome Witch at the front desk.

She quickened her pace as she saw an elevator going up opening, and she squeezed in just before the doors closed. The elevator was cramped and stuffy.

"Hermione, Healer Boomheart wants to see you straight away," said another Healer in the same lime green robes she wore. "He's waiting for you on your floor."

"Thanks," Hermione said as the other Healer got off on the third floor.

"Level Four, Spell Damage," said a cool voice, and the doors opened with a ding. Hermione stepped out and onto the floor where she spent so many hours.

"Ah, Healer Granger, there you are!" said Healer Alosis Boomheart, hurrying over to her with a stack of folders in his arms. "You're running late," he noted.

"Yes, I'm sorry. It won't happen again," Hermione apologized, looking down at the floor.

"Good, good. Now, I have some new patients for you. Three new ones as, a matter of fact. We have Stephan Muster, who was on the receiving end of a rather serious Stunning Spell and is currently unconscious. Something seems to have gone wrong with the spell and we can't get him to wake up by normal means. Then there is Taylor Pearson, who put on a Vanishing Necklace, but the charm had not been applied properly and so she has now broken out into a strange rash. Removing the necklace has not done anything to improve her condition, unfortunately. Last, there is Broderick Fredrickson who has had an _incredibly_ powerful Tickling Charm cast on him, and he won't allow Healers close enough to remove the jinx."

Hermione struggled to accept the three new folders on top of her already large pile in her arms. "Healer Boomheart, with all due respect, I just don't have time for these cases. I already have five other patients, four of them who require extensive amounts of attention. Surely there is someone else who can handle these cases?"

"Yes, there are other Healers who could handle these cases, but you are by far the most skilled on this level, which is why I am assigning them to you. Now, if you don't mind, I have more cases I need to hand out," Healer Boomheart said finally, sidestepping Hermione who had opened her mouth to retort, and darting into the elevator.

"Fuck," Hermione muttered as she walked through the halls to her office. She looked around the room fondly; it was rather small, but had all the space she needed. In the center of the room there was a white desk with a set of quills and some parchment beside a stack of blue folders. In the corner of the desk was a photograph of her and Draco waving on a backdrop of a rather pretty green field. There were a series of certificates on the wall, featuring her Hogwarts diploma and a framed piece of paper making all visitors to the office aware of the fact that Hermione was the recipient of an Order of Merlin: First Class.

Dumping the folders in her arms on top of the stack already present on her desk, Hermione looked over her patient chart and sighed.

It was going to be a long day.

***

Draco Malfoy was in a fantastic mood.

After a long but very fun night with his girlfriend, Hermione Granger, he had woken up just as his alarm went off, an hour before Hermione's would. In a very pleasant and timely fashion he had showered, changed into black dress pants and a crisp black shirt, eaten his breakfast, pulled on a cloak, read The Daily Prophet, all before apparating to the Apparation Safe Zone right near the Ministry of Magic. He entered quickly, waving at a few of the wizards who he walked by and made his way to the elevator.

Looking down he saw the button for his floor, Level Nine, Department of Mysteries, to have already been pressed. He waited patiently as the elevator went up, stopping on level one, level three and level six, before finally stopping at his level. He was the last person left in the elevator, and he stepped out promptly.

Following the end of the Second Wizarding War, a new department had been formed within the Department of Mysteries. Working in the utmost secrecy, a select few worked alongside the most important members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to infiltrate any groups of Dark Wizards who posed a threat to the reformed community. Draco had been offered a position here as soon as he had left Hogwarts, as his past living with Dark Wizards offered valuable experience, which was just what they needed within the new department. Since joining up he hadn't looked back.

"Malfoy, a word please," he heard his boss, Edgar Fenwick say as he stuck his head out of his office. Draco walked over quickly, closing the door gently behind him and taking a seat across from his boss. Edgar Fenwick was a small man with a receding black hairline, thick black spectacles and rather large green eyes which his glasses only made appear larger. "We have some new information which needs to be investigated, and Potter seems to think that you're the man for the job. He's requesting a private meeting with you later on today. Here's the folder with all the information. Are you willing to work on this?"

Draco accepted the dark green folder with the word "Private" printed across it in large bold letters and flipped it open, looking over the contents quickly.

"It will require a lot of work, but if we can complete it successfully then there will be much cause for celebration," Fenwick explained.

"I'll arrange the meeting with Harry now, and I'll definitely work on this job. It's right up my alley," Draco agreed, and Fenwick dismissed him from his office.

Draco hurried towards his own office, happy to be back in his sanctuary; his office had high ceilings with bookshelves on two of the four walls. The whole room was full of dark wood, his desk covered in various reports he was yet to finish writing. There were two photo frames on his desk, one containing the photograph Hermione had given him on their first Christmas as a couple, and the other was the picture his mother had given him that same Christmas.

Against one of the walls a stone fireplace, and it was to here Draco went, placing the new folder on his desk. He grabbed a handful of powder from a cup which sat above the grate, tossed it in and asked for Harry Potter. A moment later Harry's head popped up in the fireplace, smiling at Draco.

"Draco, how are you?" Harry asked pleasantly.

"Fine thanks. How are you and Ginny?" Draco said, summoning his chair so he could sit in front of the fireplace where Harry's head hovered.

"We're doing well. Ginny's almost eight months along now," Harry said proudly. "Let me guess, Fenwick showed you the report?" he asked, his tone turning businesslike.

"Yes, yes he did. I'm happy to help you out with this, Harry. What do I need to know?"

"You need to be aware that though you work in the Department of Mysteries and you are not allowed to talk to anyone about any of your jobs, this particular job has to be kept absolutely secret. You can't tell anybody anything about it, because if something gets out then we're ruined, and we only get one shot at this. If anyone asks what you're working on, though they should know that as an Unspeakable you won't be able to answer them, tell them that you're just finishing some reports.

"Another thing you'll need to know is that this will require some pretty heavy acting on your part, as well as time away from home and Hermione. It's a full on task. The first part of the job is written on the last page of the information within the folder. Oh, by the way, Ginny misses you two. She's planning lunch this weekend at our place, and the whole family is invited. Make sure you're there. The pregnancy has made her crazy," Harry said with a wink before his head disappeared with a pop.

Smiling to himself, Draco ran a hand through his blonde hair and scooted back to his desk, opening the green folder again and flipping straight to the last page. There was a small message written in Harry's handwriting, and all it said was "Find Gregory Goyle."

Raising his eyebrows at the message, Draco thought back to his days at Hogwarts where Goyle had followed him around, along with Crabbe. After the war had finished, Goyle had disappeared, fearing prosecution for his crimes, and no one had heard from him since then. The last rumor Draco had heard told him that Goyle was hiding in Northern Europe, but these claims had yet to be verified.

Moving the folder aside, Draco pulled out a quill and started writing a letter to some of his contacts, asking if they had any solid information on the whereabouts of his old friend.

It was going to be a long day.

***

"How was your day?" Draco asked that night as he and Hermione sat eating dinner in their apartment.

"Long, tiring, and stressful. Yours?" Hermione asked, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Long but interesting. I saw Harry today," Draco remarked, fumbling with his chopsticks as he tried to pick up some noodles. Hermione had introduced him to Chinese takeaway, and whenever they were both too tired to cook they would order it in. Despite having eaten the food almost once a week, Draco still hadn't mastered the use of chopsticks.

"Really? How is he?" Hermione asked, summoning a fork and handing it to Draco who smiled guiltily in response.

"Good. Ginny's almost eight months pregnant now. She's invited us over for lunch on the weekend. The whole Weasely brood will be there."

"That sounds good. I'll send an owl to Ginny after dinner," Hermione decided, and the two lapsed into silence again as they continued eating.

After they had finished and Draco had cleaned up, Hermione sent an owl to Ginny saying they would be glad to visit on the weekend before joining Draco in bed, yawning widely. She moved closer to him, resting her head in the crook of his neck and he wrapped an arm around her, kissing the top of her head.

She looked up at him and he bent his head down again, this time kissing her lips softly. When he pulled back she made a sound of annoyance, and chased his lips, pressing hers against his more firmly. He smiled against the kiss but broke it again.

"You're tired. You should sleep," he said, and Hermione yawned as if to prove his point.

"But I was having fun," she complained, sounding like a young child.

"Trust me, so was I, but you'd regret it in the morning," he said as he lay down, Hermione moving her head to rest on his chest. He flicked the light off and closed his eyes, his arms holding Hermione against his body.

Within minutes she was asleep, and he too followed not long after.

***

**A/N:** Huzzah, first chapter of a new fic! I'm surprised I got this out so easily as I was planning on taking a break, but once I started writing I couldn't stop. Please R&R!


	2. We Are The People

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, just the story line. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling.**** I just like to play with them and pretend they're my own.**

**A/N:** Hello, again. Just to let you all know, the updates for this story will probably come at a much slower pace in the beginning, because I'm having some troubles in real life at the moment, so if I seem to disappear for a little while, that's why. Please R&R, and on with the story!

***

"We're going to be late!" Draco called from the kitchen as he waited for Hermione to emerge from the bedroom.

"No we won't! I'm almost ready!" came the response, and Draco sighed, leaning back against the countertop and glancing at the clock impatiently. It was already half past twelve, which was when they were expected at Harry and Ginny's. Just as he was about to call out to her again, Hermione came in, running her hand through her long brown curls.

They were both dressed simply in muggle clothing, Hermione in a pair of black shorts with a red shirt and Draco in dark jeans and a white t-shirt which clung to his chest. He held out his hand to Hermione once she had grabbed the bowl of pasta salad they were taking to the lunch, and the two of them stepped into the fireplace.

"12 Grimauld Place!" Hermione cried out as Draco dropped a handful of Floo powder, and they disappeared in a flash of green flames.

They stepped out onto the dark hardwood floors of Harry and Ginny's house, brushing off the ash which clung to their clothes, and Draco heard people approaching from the kitchen.

12 Grimauld Place had changed a lot in the last four years; once he had left school, Harry had moved in and gone about doing renovations throughout the house. Harry had, with the help of Kreacher who had the power to remove Permanent Sticking Charms, had removed the portraits of Sirius' ancestors and repainted the walls a dark red, reminiscent of his days at Hogwarts. All the furnishings had also been updated, and were now comfortable and not at all moth-eaten like the old furniture.

"Hermione!" Ginny shrieked, waddling into the room, her large stomach preceding her through the doorway. Draco took the pasta salad from Hermione as she jumped from the fireplace to envelope her pregnant friend in a long but awkward looking hug. "How are you?" the redhead asked once they had broken apart, leading Hermione and Draco to the kitchen.

"We're wonderful. How are you and the baby?" Hermione asked, sitting down at the dining table beside Ginny, and the two launched into baby talk.

Draco spotted Harry watching the two women talk, and decided to join him.

"Hey, mate. How are you?" Harry asked once Draco had made his presence known, and they shook hands firmly.

"I'm good. Are we the first ones here?" Draco questioned, wondering why the house was so quiet.

"Yeah, but the others should be here soon," Harry said, and they heard a loud roar coming from the living room as someone else arrived by Floo powder. "Shall we?" Harry indicated that they go and greet the guests. Hermione and Ginny looked around at the sound but didn't move from the table where Ginny was discussing decorating the nursery. Nodding at Harry, Draco followed his friend into the living room where Ron was stepping out of the fireplace, dusting himself off.

"Hey, guys," he grinned, shaking his red hair and causing ash to fall everywhere.

"Thanks for that, mate," Harry said, rolling his eyes and giving Ron a shove.

"Thought you'd like it," the redhead said with a wink. "George'll be here in a minute with Angelina and Fred."

"So considerate of you," Harry laughed, and the fireplace filled with dancing green flames as Angelina Weasley, nee Johnson, stepped out holding hands with George who was holding hands with a little boy with flaming red hair who could pass for a younger George. The only difference between the boy and his father was that the child had Angelina's brown eyes compared to George's blue.

"Hello, all!" George said cheerily as he helped Angelina from the grate and scooped the little boy into his arms. "Fred, say hello."

"Hullo," said the boy with a faint lisp, and George grinned. "Mum!" the boy yelled, and George handed the boy to Angelina and planted a kiss on both their heads.

"The girls are in the kitchen," Harry said and Angelina gave him a grateful smile and walked out of the room. "Shall we sit?"

The men all nodded enthusiastically and sat in the comfortable chairs, and the Quidditch talk began, all of them contributing to the conversation eagerly as they discussed the injuries that the Chudley Cannons' Seeker had gained during a practice, where a Bludger had managed to knock him off his broom, knocking him out for several days in the process.

"He's not going to be fit to play this weekend then, is he?" Draco said, pleased with the injury to the Seeker; he wasn't a supporter of the Cannons.

"Nah, doubt it," Harry shrugged, and Ron scowled.

There was another roar of the flames and Bill stepped out of the fireplace, arm around Fleur's waist, holding hands with a girl who resembled Fleur so much, and who was no older than three. Fleur glided out of Bill's support and Harry stood as she placed two kisses on his cheeks.

"'Arry, eet iz so good to see you!" she said in her throaty voice, with her accent which had improved in the last four years.

"It's wonderful to see you too, Fleur," Harry said with a smile, stepping back from the woman who turned to greet the other men in the room. "The women are in the kitchen," he added, and she swept from the room.

"Harry, Mum and Dad said they'd be here soon with Teddy," Bill said, shaking Harry's hand firmly with his free hand. The little girl looked up at Harry expectantly, and the dark-haired wizard stooped down and scooped her into his arms.

"Harry!" she cried out happily as he swung her around before placing the child on George's lap.

"Victoire's getting big," Harry remarked, resuming his seat as Bill made himself comfortable.

"And fussy," Bill added with a laugh, and there were two loud cracks as Molly and Arthur Weasley appeared, Molly holding hands with Teddy Lupin, Harry's godson.

"Teddy!" Harry said happily once they boy, who was sporting messy turquoise blue hair, spotted him. Teddy ran over and hugged his godfather tightly. "Fred's in the kitchen, why don't you go and play with him?"

Teddy raced out of the room as all the men stood up, stretching.

"Boys, lunch is ready!" Ginny called from the kitchen and they all trooped towards the food, Victoire still in George's arms. The dining table had been set for fourteen, and there were piles of food in the middle.

Draco, spotting Hermione near the end of the table, went over and took the vacant seat beside her. She turned as he sat down, giving him a relieved smile; there was only so much baby-talk she could take before she looked for a more stimulating topic.

George and Angelina sat across from Hermione and Draco, Fred scrambling to get into his father's lap.

"Dig in!" Ginny said happily once everyone was seated, and for a few minutes the only sound that could be heard was that of cutlery against crockery and appreciative sounds as people ate.

"So," George began once conversations had sprung up all along the table. "Are you two planning on making it official any time soon?"

"I would have thought that after four years together we were already somewhat official," Draco remarked, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

"Well yeah, you are official, but not official-official. Are you ever going to tie the knot?" Angelina asked, looking pointedly at Hermione.

"Um, well, yeah, I'm sure we'll get around to it eventually, or something," Hermione spluttered.

"It would be _wonderful_ if you two did get married! Your kids would be so adorable," Ginny said, her eyes glazing over as she thought.

"So, why couldn't Percy and Penelope come today?" Draco asked loudly, changing the topic as he saw Hermione grow uncomfortable. She grabbed his hand beneath the table and squeezed it gratefully, and he flashed her a quick smile as conversation turned to Percy's work as assistant to Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister for Magic.

***

"You know, in our four years together, we've never once talked about having kids," Hermione remarked, climbing between the crisp white sheets of their bed that night.

Draco stood in front of the wardrobe, hanging up his shirt and turned around to face her. "I never thought it was something we needed to think about," he shrugged, now dropping his trousers and hanging them up beside the shirt.

"Well no, neither did I. But, I mean, everyone's settling down and having kids, and here we are, unmarried with no plans for a family," Hermione leant back into the pillows, watching Draco as he climbed into bed beside her.

"Ron's not even in a relationship," he said pointedly, and she rolled her eyes. "No, I do see where you're coming from. I would never have pegged you as the maternal type, though."

"Oh no, I'm not the maternal type. I don't really like kids. Then again, people always say that until they have their own, at which point they fall in love with the idea of children. Just look at Harry with Teddy. But even if I don't like kids, I _do_ like having plans. What do you think about the idea of a family?" Hermione asked, snuggling into Draco's chest.  
"Hm, kids. Sticky hands and diapers. Not exactly my cup of tea," he said, holding her close to him. "But we'll see what happens. If we did have kids, I'd prefer to wait until we're married. Not because I think having kids outside of wedlock is wrong, but because it just makes things a lot less complicated."

"Always strategic," Hermione smiled, and he laughed. "If we ever do get married, then I don't want a big fuss. I know Molly and Ginny will want a huge celebration, but I would be much happier if you and I went to the Ministry with just Harry or someone as a witness and we just got married like that."

"Your wish is my command," Draco murmured, kissing the top of her head. "We should probably get some sleep," he said, stifling a yawn.

"Mm, I agree," Hermione said, sleep clouding her voice. Draco turned off the light and pulled Hermione close to his body, drifting off to sleep.

***

"Have you found out anything about Goyle?" Harry asked, pacing the floor of his large office.

"No, he's gained a few brain cells and has discovered how to keep a low profile," Draco said dryly.

"Do you have any other contacts that might have information on his whereabouts?"

" Not that are alive," frowned Draco, and Harry gave a huge sigh, collapsing in his chair.

"There _is_ someone who I'm sure would know something, but I feel you would be reluctant to talk to them."

"Who?" Draco asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on Harry's magnificent oak desk.

"Your father," Harry said simply, but a crease of worry had formed between his eyebrows.

"Lucius? I haven't talked to the man since I was seventeen. What makes you think he'd talk to me?" Draco asked, evidently somewhat repulsed at the idea of meeting his father again.

"He has nothing to lose by talking to you, and if he does then there is some hope, albeit a very small amount of it, that his sentence in Azkaban will be reduced," Harry shrugged, leaning back. "You're taking this better than I expected."

"Can you arrange a meeting with him for me?" Draco asked after a minute's silence.

"I'm sure that as head of law enforcement I could pull some strings for you," Harry said wryly, and Draco rolled his eyes at his friend. "Anyway, I better get back to work. Say hello to Hermione, would you?"

"No problem, Harry. Talk to you later," Draco said, leaving with a wave over his shoulder and the feeling of apprehension at the upcoming meeting with his estranged father.

***

Hermione was slumped in the chair in her office, trying not to let the tears fall.

Even though she _knew_ should couldn't save everyone, it always hit hard when she lost a patient, and losing Stephan Muster was no exception. Wiping away a stray tear and trying to quell her emotions, she pulled the patient's folder towards her, checking over next of kin. With her eyes blurred from tears, she read that he had a wife and a daughter, and the thought of the child growing up fatherless set Hermione off again.

She pushed the folder away and buried her face in her hands, trying to calm herself.


	3. Ask Me Anything

**Disclaimer: All credit for these characters go to J.K. Rowling. I just like to play with them in my little dollhouse, also known as my imagination. **

**A/N: **The title is named after a song by The Strokes, just to let you all know. All the titles in this story will be song names, actually. Thank you to all who've favourited, put this story on alert or reviewed – you make me happy.

**Warning: There is some slight lemony goodness here!**

***

Draco took a deep breath, loud enough that Harry turned around, noticing his friend's nervousness.

"You'll be fine, Draco. I'll be there along with plenty of guards if anything goes wrong. You don't need to worry about anything," Harry said reassuringly. "We better get going though. Azkaban is a hell of a place to have to get to."

Wordlessly, for he thought he wouldn't be able to manage more than a strangled cry, Draco nodded his head and followed Harry out of his office, his mind swirling. He hadn't thought it would be this hard to face his father. They had not met for five years, but the memories of Lucius' cruelty towards his only son still haunted Draco, and he was sure that meeting his tormenter's face once more would do nothing to quell the trauma.

"We're taking a Portkey to the island, and then we'll be escorted to your father's cell by a few of my best men. I'm sure you're aware of the fact that the Dementors no longer work there which is a relief, but it _does_ make the prisoner's much more aware of people coming in and out of the prison. If you wish we can cast a Disillusionment Charm on you, but it will have to be lifted by the time you get to Lucius' cell. It's a legal thing," Harry offered, but Draco shook his head.

"I want to face them all as me," he said in a voice that was a mere shadow of his own, and Harry nodded.

"Here we go," Harry muttered once they reached an old copy of The Daily Prophet. "It's scheduled to leave in about thirty seconds, so grab on."

Kneeling on the floor beside Harry, Draco placed a thumb onto the paper and it glowed blue before he felt a sharp tug behind his bellybutton, and Harry was telling him to let go. Draco obliged, releasing his thumb from the grimy paper and began to fall beside Harry, and after half a second of free-falling the two of them began to slow until they both landed safely on the island.

"Mr Potter, sir, Mr Malfoy," said a gruff voice once they had landed, and Draco saw a tall, rather thickset man standing there in dark blue robes. "If you'll please follow me."

"Of course, Sterling," Harry said, falling into place behind the Auror, Draco at his side. "I can only take you so far, but I'll be here if you need me."

Feeling as though his throat had closed up once more, Draco merely nodded and Harry dropped back with a half-hearted wave. The Auror, Sterling, grabbed Draco's upper arm and steered him into the large stone fortress, where the sound of the pounding waves faded away and all that could be heard was the moaning of prisoners. Once they realized that there was a guest in the building, the prisoners cautiously moved towards the bars of their cells, many of them jeering when the spotted the youngest of the Malfoys.

"Traitor!"

"Lousy scum!"  
"Disgrace to the name Malfoy!"

Draco held his head high, trying desperately to block out the insults which seemed amplified by the cold stone which formed the building.

"Your father's just back here," Sterling said, glaring at the prisoners who backed into the corner at the Auror's gaze. The two reached the last cell of the prison which held only the most dangerous prisoner. "I'll be just out 'ere. Give us a yell if you need anything, and I'll come running with Mr Potter."

Draco nodded and the gate to the cell swung open, allowing the tall blonde to step inside with the gate slamming shut on his heels. Hearing the sounds of Draco's arrival, the cell's inhabitant looked up from his cot where he had a book in his hand.

"Draco," Lucius Malfoy said, marking his page and closing the book.

"Father," Draco said curtly, surveying his father who had once looked so proud. The elder Malfoy looked to be an imprint of the man he had once been; his cheeks were thin, his skin yellowing, and his eyes were sunken. His white-blonde hair was thin, greasy, but despite his disheveled appearance, Lucius Malfoy kept his back straight and his head high. "Father, I've come to ask you a few questions," Draco began.

"What, no pleasantries, Draco? I thought I taught you better manners than that," Lucius scolded, shaking his head at his son.

"I apologize, father, I thought we were past pleasantries," Draco apologized, determine to make his father happy in order to receive the answers he sought. "I wish I could say you look well, but your appearance leaves something to be desired."

"So _harsh_, my son. You, on the other hand, are looking very well," Lucius said approvingly as he eyed his son's immaculately clean and crisp black robes. "Aside from your appearance, there is something I've been wishing to ask you since the rumours reached me."

"And what rumours would they be, father?" Draco asked, almost positive he knew exactly what his father was talking about.

"According to an old copy of The Daily Prophet, my son, a pureblood Malfoy, is with the Gryffindor Princess herself, the mudblood Granger," Lucius said, raising his eyebrows.

"Don't call her that," Draco spat, forgetting himself for a moment. Taking a deep breath of the stale air within the cell, he regained his composure. "Yes, father, I am dating Hermione. Not that it is any concern of yours, of course."

"No concern of mine, Draco? I beg to differ. You are a pureblood and are most definitely above seeing a mudblood. Even worse than dating a mudblood, it is Hermione Granger, the one who brought upon your own father's demise," Lucius said indignantly.

"Forgive me if I have been given incorrect information, but I believe that it was me who was supposed to be doing the questioning," Draco said, trying to avoid getting into a deeper discussion about Hermione with his father.

"Of course, how rude of me," Lucius sneered, and Draco took the opportunity to begin his line of questions.

"Are you aware of the whereabouts of Gregory Goyle?" Draco asked, watching the shock flit over his father's face.

"Why should I tell you?" Lucius questioned once his face was set in its usual cold mask.

"I can get your sentence reduced if the information you provide me with is satisfactory, father, and I know for a fact that you wish to leave Azkaban and return to the manor," Draco offered the bait, and his father's mask disappeared.

"You can get me out of here?" the older man asked, and Draco nodded once. "Goyle fled with his father into Germany where they had acquaintances waiting to help them into hiding. The elder one died, but your old school friend is still living there from what I know," Lucius said in a rush. "When can you get me out?"

"If your information proves to be helpful to me, then I may see what I can do," Draco said coldly, and Lucius recoiled at his son's tone.

"B-but you said you would get me out of here!" the man pleaded, desperation flooding his face.

"I say I can get your sentence reduced if I wish," Draco corrected, but he felt sick to his stomach as his father knelt in front of him, looking more broken than ever before.

"Please, please! Draco, do what your mother would have done. Let me go!" Lucius cried, grabbing the hem of Draco's robes. Draco kicked out and his father dropped the fabric, shuffling backwards.

"Don't you _dare_ speak about my mother," Draco snapped. "I'm ready to leave!" he added loudly, and the gate opened, Sterling standing outside with his wand pointed at Lucius who flinched backwards.

"Please, no! Draco! Draco!" Lucius' voice followed Draco as he left the stone fortress quickly, not even looking around at the former Deatheaters who jeered at him from their cells. Even though he was far from his father's cell, the older man's pleading echoed in his head as he stepped through the large wooden front doors of the prison and onto the dirt ground of the island where the wind whipped his hair and he could breathe freely once more.

"Draco, did everything go well?" Harry asked, making Draco jumped. He hadn't heard his friend approach.

"Yes, everything went fine. I know the location. I'll debrief you once we get back to the Ministry." Draco said, surprised at how steady his voice seemed.

"You don't look well, mate. Are you sure you want to go back to work?" Harry looked worriedly, and Draco wondered what he looked like. "You're looking kind of pale…well, paler than usual," Harry added as though reading Draco's thoughts.

"No, I'm feeling fine. I just need to get back to work, that's all. Shall we get going?"

Harry nodded after a moment and allowed Draco to lead back to the point where they had arrived by Portkey. Pointing his wand at a broken mug, Draco muttered "Portus" under his breath, and as he and Harry grabbed the mug it glowed blue and they were transported back to Harry's office at the Ministry.

"Have a seat," Harry gestured to two plush chairs and Draco sat as Harry poured two glasses of amber liquid and carried them over. "What happened?"

"He asked me about Hermione, and I suppose that shook me up a bit," Draco sighed, accepting the glass and inhaling the smell of Ogden's Firewhisky. The harsh smell burnt his nose, but it was welcome. "And then he told me that Goyle is in Germany. I told him that I might be able to get him out if the information he gave me proved fruitful. I wasn't serious though, and when he realized he started pleading with me, and I just had to get out of there."

Harry nodded sympathetically and Draco gulped the Firewhisky down, enjoying the warmth it spread to his toes. "You've done well. We'll get someone sent to Germany undercover straight away so we can get this investigation truly started," Harry said, smacking his lips together after downing his own drink. "Until then, I'll talk to your boss about it, but you're going home."

Knowing that it was pointless to argue, Draco nodded. "Mind if I use your fireplace to Floo home?" he asked and Harry nodded. "See you later, Harry," he added as he disappeared in a blaze of green flames.

***

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"What aren't you telling me?"

"I can't tell you, Hermione."

"Why not?"

"It's to do with work."

"Oh."

Hermione fell silent as she stared at Draco who was pushing his food aimlessly around his plate.

"I wish I could tell you," Draco said suddenly, dropping his fork with a clatter.

"Then tell me, Draco," Hermione said quietly, grasping his empty hands with hers.

"You _know_ that I can't. I don't want to go to Azkaban. It's just…I mean, I love my job, but the problem is there's now this entire side of me that you don't, that you _can't_ know," Draco said, burying his face in his hands. Hermione let herself slump back in her seat for a moment, and then pushed away from the table, waving her wand to send both plates of untouched food flying into the sink, and they fell in with a crash which seemed to awaken Draco.

"I'm sorry," he said, standing up from the table and pulling Hermione into his arms, kissing the top of her head softly.

She looked up at him and moved her arms from within his embrace to wrap around his neck. He tilted his head down and she captured his lips with her own, letting all her love and passion for the man pour out through her kiss. He returned the kiss with just as much enthusiasm, and his tongue was begging for entrance to her mouth so she gave into it and he pulled her body flush against his.

Sliding his hands down her waist, he lifted her off the ground slightly and she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. Still not breaking the kiss, Draco carried her to the bedroom with ease, dodging each obstacle as though he had done this many times before. She moaned into the kiss and at the friction that was being created between the two of them, and he placed her on the bed gently, climbing on top of her.

He moved from her lips and began kissing a trail down her neck, slowly unbuttoning her shirt as he went before sliding it off altogether. Running his hands down the smooth expanse of her stomach, he continued to kiss and suck on her neck, eliciting moans from Hermione who had knotted her fingers in his hair.

"Off," she breathed, moving one hand to his shirt and tugging at it, and Draco obliged all too willingly, dropping the black shirt to the ground. Hermione ran her hands down his well-defined chest, raking her fingernails slightly against the pale skin, and now it was Draco's turn to groan.

He bent down again, kissing the exposed parts of Hermione's breasts and she let out a gasp as he grazed his teeth over the tender flesh.

"Please…Draco," she panted, and he pulled her pants off, her knickers going with them. She fumbled with his belt but soon his trousers were lying with hers in a pile at the bottom of the bed. Without a moment's hesitation he thrust into her, and in that moment they were both in heaven, together in the most intimate way.

He started to move, causing the most delicious friction between the pair, and Hermione's nails scratched at Draco's back, her eyes closed and head rocking back and forth.

She felt her muscles tighten and clench around him as she came, and that tipped him over the edge. He cried out her name before collapsing beside her, both of them still panting as they tried to catch their breath.

"Love you," she whispered, burying her face in his chest.

"Love you too," he mumbled, holding her close and drifting off to sleep.

***

**A/N:** Did you like that wee little lemon? It wasn't much, but don't expect them to get any more graphic than that. Please R&R as it makes me happy!


	4. Make A Plan To Love Me

**Disclaimer: No matter how many stars I wish upon, I will still not own Harry Potter. It is in fact owned by J.K. Rowling; I merely borrow it to play with.**

***

"Draco…your alarm."

Draco groaned as the incessant beeping of his alarm went off, trying to reach his wand to turn it off. With another groan he remembered his wand was in his pants pocket, and his pants were on the floor at the foot of the bed. Turning slightly he slammed his fist down onto the little muggle contraption Hermione had insisted they get, and the beeping ceased.

"You going to get up?" Hermione mumbled through the haze of sleep.

"No, taking the day off," Draco murmured, resuming his comfortable position and closing his eyes again.

"Why?" Hermione muttered as Draco's arms pulled her body close to his own.

"I want to spend the day with you," Draco mumbled, grazing the top of her head with his lips.

"I love you."

"Love you too, Hermione."

***

Another blaring noise was going off, eliciting two matching groans from the occupants of the bed.

"Stupid alarm," Hermione sighed, sitting up and stretching. She pressed the off button of her alarm and rolled out of bed, turning around to see the still sleeping form of Draco. Smiling at how peaceful he looked with his eyes closed and lips partly open, his face a perfect picture of peace, she padded silently to the bathroom.

She turned the shower on and stepped in, letting the warm water run over her body and wake her up. This was probably her second favourite part of the day, the first being whenever she saw Draco once she got home from work. After washing her hair and rinsing out the lavender scented shampoo, Hermione stepped out and wrapped herself in a light blue towel before returning to the bedroom where Draco was beginning to stir.

"Why are you up?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"I have to go to work," Hermione said obviously.

"Oh. Right."

Turning to the wardrobe, Hermione chuckled to herself as she pulled on her ludicrously bright lime green robes. Draco had not moved other than propping himself up on his pillows, and he watched her get ready for work. She charmed her hair dry and pulled it off her face in a ponytail and glanced at the clock.

"I've got to get going, 'kay? See you ARGH!" There was a loud pop like a gunshot, and Harry appeared in their bedroom, grinning widely. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Hermione screeched, hand on her heart.

"Sorry, sorry! I know, it was rude, but Ginny's having the baby!" Harry said, bursting with excitement. Draco's eyes widened and Hermione let out a happy gasp. "She wants both of you there, so hurry up!"

Harry disappeared with a loud pop and Hermione shrieked happily.

"Get up, Draco! Come on, hurry up!" she said, running around and changing from her work robes into some simple clothes. Knowing better than to take his time in a situation like this, Draco pulled on his crinkled clothes from the day before and ran a hand through his hair. Eyeing his reflection, he deemed his appearance suitable and Hermione nodded at him. "Let's go."

With a loud pop they both apparated to St. Mungo's, hurrying in through the front doors.

"Good morning, Hermione!" called the witch at the front desk, and the couple went over to her.

"Hello, I was wondering, do you know what room Ginny Potter was in?" Hermione asked politely, and the witch nodded.

"Of course, Mr Potter told me you'd be arriving. It's a shame he's taken, he's quite handsome," she giggled, thumbing through some sheets. "Mrs Potter is in room twelve on the second floor."

"Thanks!" Hermione called, already hurrying towards the magical elevators with Draco on her heels.

"Hermione, slow down! She'll be fine, okay," Draco said as they darted between the closing doors, much to the disgruntlement of the other occupants.

"I know she'll be fine, but I just want to be there."

With a loud ding the doors opened onto the second level and Hermione rushed through them, dragging Draco behind her as she pushed through the crowds of people to room twelve. Bursting through the door, she saw Ginny and Harry looking down at a small blue bundle. Noticing the arrival, they both looked up, and Harry beckoned them over.

"Meet James Sirius Potter," he said, absolutely beaming, and Hermione bent down and looked at the tiny blue bundle; James's brown eyes looked up at them, not absorbing anything but still watching the two newcomers. His hair was a thin wisp of inky locks, and he raised a chubby arm as though in greeting.

"He's beautiful," Hermione murmured quietly, and Ginny smiled at her.

"Congratulations, you two," Draco said, hugging Harry and bending down to give Ginny a swift peck on the cheek.

"Will you two be his godparents?" Harry asked, and Hermione's jaw dropped.

"Of course!" she squealed, jumping into Harry's arms. He grinned and set her down. "But what about Ron? Won't he be disappointed?" she frowned, stepping back until she collided with Draco's chest, his arms snaking around her waist and holding her back.

"Well, Ron's already going to be James' uncle, and it isn't like he's going to be the last child we have, you know," Ginny smiled, looking up at the couple who were both smiling broadly now.

"That's so kind of you, we'd be honored. Anyway, we better leave you three alone to get acquainted," Hermione smiled, and Draco nodded in agreement, releasing Hermione except for one hand. With a wave, the two of them left, almost running into Mr and Mrs Weasley who were running along the corridor, the entire family behind them.

"Oh, hello, dears!" Mrs Weasley said, and Draco and Hermione flattened themselves against a wall to avoid the onslaught of people crushing them as the family rushed past, only one member lagging behind.

"You would think they'd never seen a baby before," George laughed, shaking hands with Draco and kissing Hermione's cheek.

"In their defense, James is very cute," Hermione grinned, and George shook his head.

"Still, I'm sure Gin and Harry would prefer some privacy for a while. Then again, James can now meet his entire extended family in one go. Not many kids can say that when they were three hours old they met their grandparents and many aunts and uncles," George said, and the two laughed. "Anyway, mum'll probably kill me if I don't go and see James soon, so I'll see you guys later. Ange was thinking of having you two, Bill and Fleur and Ginny and Harry over for dinner some time, probably this weekend, so keep your schedule free." With a wave they went their separate ways.

"That boy is going to grow up so spoilt, what with Molly and Arthur," Draco said, shaking his head.

"You say that like you weren't spoilt when you were a child," Hermione teased, and he laughed.

"You're right, I was spoilt rotten. Still, I feel sorry for James. He's going to be in the spotlight all the time. Even though five years have gone by since the end of the war, Harry's still famous and his photo is splashed everywhere. That child isn't going to get a second's privacy," Draco frowned.

As if to justify his point, as soon as the couple stepped out of the elevator and were bombarded by reporters and camera flashes.

"Can you give us an idea of what the child looks like?"

"Is the baby a boy or a girl?"

"Are the rumours that the baby is a squib true?"

"Is Harry Potter really the father of the child?"

Hermione scowled as a reporter shoved a magical microphone in front of her face.

"Why don't you vultures just back off and let the family come to terms with the new addition rather than bombard them with what are absolutely ridiculous questions," Hermione said angrily, and Draco helped her push their way through the crowd until they arrived outside of Purge and Dowse Ltd., and onto the streets of muggle London.

"Those people are horrible," Draco said once they were free of the crowd of reporters, and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"How the hell is James ever going to get to live a normal life with them swarming around Harry and Ginny all the time?" she snapped.

"Hopefully they'll find a new plaything sometime soon and Harry and Ginny will be able to live their life in peace and quiet. Now, I've decided that I'm kidnapping you for the day, and we're going to go out and have some breakfast," Draco said, effectively lightening the mood.

"Oh no!" Hermione cried, trying to stop laughing without result. Draco wrapped his arms around her waist and scooped her up, spinning her around and attracting stares from the people on the busy London street.

***

Stepping out of the café where they had been eating breakfast, Hermione shivered. Winter was almost upon them, but the first snowfall had not yet been seen in London.

"I really should be going to work," she frowned as Draco wrapped his jacket around her shoulders.

"No, no you shouldn't. I talked to your boss and he said that you could have the day off," Draco smiled, taking her hand.

"But I have so much work to do," she whined, and Draco laughed.

"You sound like a little kid when you do that," he said, and she poked her tongue out at him. "Just proving my point even more!"

She slapped his arm playfully and he released her hand, wrapping his arm around her waist instead, leaning down and planting a kiss on her temple. She smiled up at him, and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Marry me," he said suddenly, making Hermione's eyes widen.

"Are you serious?"

He paused for a moment, thinking it over. "Yes. Will you marry me?" he asked, pausing in the street and facing her.

"Yes," she cried out happily, jumping into his arms, pressing her lips to his, and he eagerly returned the kiss.

***

**A/N: **Thank you so much for the reviews! Just to let you all know, I know exactly where this story is going, I just need to help it get there. Please review as it makes me happy and it'll certainly make me update faster. Life is calming down so I'll be able to get updates out faster. Also, the song is "Make A Plan To Love Me," by Bright Eyes.


	5. Be Here Now

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Harry Potter, as they are all the property of the wonderful J.K. Rowling.  
**

***

Hermione stood, unreasonably nervous, in front of the Ministry official, her hand clasped in Draco's. George was standing in as the witness, sworn to secrecy by Hermione from telling any of the Weasley family.

"Do you, Hermione Jean Granger, take Draco Abraxas Malfoy to be your lawfully wedded husband by the magical laws, to be together until death do you part?"

"I do," Hermione murmured, staring deep into Draco's eyes which sparkled at her words.

"And do you, Draco Abraxas Malfoy, take Hermione Jean Granger to be your lawfully wedded wife by the magical laws, to be together until death do you part?"

"I do," Draco said confidently, squeezing Hermione's hand.

"By the power invested in my by the Minister for Magic, I now pronounce you man and wife," the official said, and with a lazy flick of his wand a glowing golden rope emerged from his wand, binding Hermione and Draco together with ancient and powerful magic. "You may kiss the bride."

George wolf-whistled as Draco pulled Hermione to him, his lips pressing against hers with all the love and devotion he could pour into the kiss, Hermione returning the feelings with just as much force.

"I love you," he mumbled against her lips, and she smiled into the kiss.

"Love you, too. Forever and always."

***

"To Harry and Ginny!"

"To Harry and Ginny," everyone repeated after George, all sipping deeply from their goblets of wine.

"Thanks, everyone," Ginny mumbled, blushing bright red as she readjusted James. Harry squeezed her shoulder lightly and smiled at everyone before the group went back to their meals. The room lapsed into silence, broken only by the sounds of cutlery against crockery and appreciative sounds as the meal continued.

Draco caught Hermione's eye and she nodded, giving him a secretive smile as George, catching this exchange between the newlyweds, winked at him from the head of the table. He picked up his glass and tapped on it lightly with his spoon until all attention was on him.

"Now, we don't want to steal Ginny and Harry's thunder or anything, but Hermione and I have an announcement to make," he said, standing up. The rest of the party looked on in interest. "Earlier in the week, Hermione and I got married!"

The women around the table squealed loudly, jumping up to go and hug the couple. Ron seemed gobsmacked and didn't make a move to congratulate the couple. Harry, who had had James dumped in his arms at the news so Ginny could embrace Hermione, gave them a warm smile with a promise he'd congratulate them properly later, and Bill shook hands firmly with Draco and planted a kiss on Hermione's cheek.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ginny shrieked, and Fleur and Angelina repeated the question enthusiastically before resuming their seats.

"We just wanted something quiet. George was the witness, and we just went into the Ministry and had a really small thing," Hermione explained.

"Early Christmas shopping my arse," Angelina laughed, elbowing George playfully in the ribs and he grinned.

"Sorry, love, couldn't spill the beans!" George said, and the meal went on followed a couple of bottles of champagne.

***

"That went well," Draco mused as the couple walked hand in hand back from to their apartment from the apparation safe zone.

"Mm, after the hugging and shrieking," Hermione agreed, cringing at Ginny's shrill voice in her ear. "At least they didn't complain that we didn't have a ridiculously huge ceremony. Molly will probably kick up a fuss when she finds out though."

"Probably, but what's done is done," Draco said, unlocking the front door of the apartment and following Hermione in. As he went to close the door, a silver stag burst through the gap, invisible to muggle eyes, and stopped in front of the two.

"Sorry to disturb you, Draco, and I'm sure you want to spend some time with Hermione, but you need to come into the office immediately. We've got some new information. See you soon, mate," the stag said with Harry's voice before disappearing. Draco looked at Hermione with a pained expression.

"I'm sorry, beautiful, but I've got to go," he sighed, pulling her close and planting a soft kiss on her lips. "I'll be back later tonight, I promise."

"I know, I know. See you later," Hermione said, trying to hide the frown that was forcing its way onto her face as Draco turned and disapparated with a loud pop.

***

"Hey, sorry about that," Harry said as Draco arrived in front of him.

"No, forget it. What did we get?" Draco asked in a hushed tone as the two hurried along to Draco's office.

"The person I sent to Germany is back, with Goyle along with him," Harry explained once they reached the security of the office. Draco lit the fireplace with a wave of his wand and sat down at his desk, across from Harry.

"What was Goyle's reaction to the information given?" Draco questioned, summoning a bottle of firewhisky and two glasses over, and pouring a glass of the amber liquid for each of them.

"Apparently he seemed pretty excited about it all, and couldn't wait to get started, the sicko. There's a meeting on tonight, and he's attending it. The next meeting is on Wednesday night, and I think you should attend that one," Harry suggested, gulping down the drink.

"What? Attend the meeting on Wednesday? It's a bit soon, don't you think?" Draco felt the liquid burn on its way down his throat, but at the same time a warm feeling spread to his fingertips.

"My informant told me that the group is getting angry, and they want to start taking action as soon as possible. The sooner we can get you integrated into their society and as soon as you gain their trust we can bring them down."

"It shouldn't take too long for me to get their trust. After all, I _am_ a Malfoy," Draco said, putting on his most pompous accent.

"Excellent work, Mr _Malfoy_," Harry laughed, pouring two more glasses of Ogden's firewhiskey. "From Wednesday onwards you're going to be working long days, so you might want to tell Hermione that you won't be home much."

"You're probably right. She'll get worried if I just don't come home one night."

"I wonder why," Harry said wryly, and Draco grinned. "Ugh, I should probably go get some more work done on this case," he sighed, taking another drink.

"No, go home to your son, Harry. The work can wait until tomorrow," Draco said encouragingly, and Harry frowned before nodding. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll give you some more information on the situation then, okay?"

"Sounds good. See you then," Draco waved, and his fireplace glowed green as Harry vanished.

Following in his friend's footsteps, Draco approached his fireplace, took a handful of powder that sat on the mantelpiece and stepped into the grate before disappearing in the green flames.

***

Draco groaned as his alarm went off, wishing nothing more than for the constant blaring to disappear. He went to pull Hermione closer to his body, but found the bed empty of her presence. His eyes snapped open and he grabbed his wand, rolling out of bed and landing on the floor stealthily. Then he heard the retching.

"Hermione?" he called out, keeping his wand aimed and ready as he crept towards the ensuite where the sound was coming from.

"In here," said a feeble Hermione, and Draco's wand clattered to the floor as he sprung forward. Hermione bent her head over the toilet again, retching once more, and Draco's hands pulled her hair up and out of her face, away from her neck to let the cool air touch the clammy skin. After a few more minutes, Hermione pushed herself away from the toilet, instead leaning up against the bathtub. Draco got a cool cloth and put in on her forehead, and she gave him a soft smile. "I wanted to surprise you with some breakfast, but a couple of minutes after I got up I needed to throw up. I think it might be food poisoning or something,' Hermione frowned, and Draco planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Don't worry, love, I'll take care of you," Draco said, and Hermione's head tilted to lean on his shoulder. They sat like that for a while, not speaking, and slowly the colour returned to Hermione's cheeks.

"I think that I'm feeling better now," she murmured, leaning on the bathtub for support as she stood up. Draco followed her lead however he simply stood in a quick motion, and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Breakfast?" he suggested, and she bit her lip, contemplating whether or not she could keep a full meal down before nodding her head. On their way to the kitchen, Hermione glanced at the clock.

"Draco, you have to be at work ten minutes ago," she said with a frown, and Draco cursed.

"I'm sorry, love, but I've got to go. Harry has some new information on something. If you feel sick, floo Ginny," Draco called out as he ran back to the bedroom, emerging a few minutes later in a crisp black suit and some folders in his arm. "I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"Alright, see you," Hermione said as Draco planted a kiss on her cheek before disappearing with a loud crack. She sighed and waved her wand, too tired to be bothered making breakfast by hand. The kettle began to boil and a large mug came flying out of a cupboard, landing on the countertop just as a heaped teaspoon of coffee was poured into it. The kettle whistled loudly and with another wave of her wand, Hermione made the water pour into the mug. Soon the aroma of enticing coffee filled the kitchen, and Hermione smiled as her hand curled around the mug.

As she got comfortable in a lounge chair, glad that it was her day off, and picked up her old and rather worn copy of Tales of Beedle the Bard, the same book she had inherited from Dumbledore before they went hunting for the horcruxes. Even though it was a book of tales for children, Hermione loved to lose herself in the simplicity of the stories. She didn't have to concentrate too hard or wrap her mind around difficult concepts; instead she could just read The Fountain of Fair Fortune and relax, which is exactly what she did that morning.

After a second cup of coffee and an almost complete re-read of the book of fairytales, Hermione decided that she should probably do something more productive, so she reluctantly uncurled herself from the chair and put her book and mug on the coffee table.

As she stretched, she felt her stomach turn and burn, and she ran to the bathroom, reaching it just in time as she bent over the toilet and threw up yet again. When she finished, she pushed herself away from the toilet, leaning her head against the edge of the bath instead. She wished that Draco wasn't at work, and that he was there holding her hand. These thoughts filled her mind as she, once again, moved over the toilet and retched once more.

***

"You're late, Malfoy," said an annoyed voice, and Draco turned to face his boss, Fenwick, who was glaring at him.

"Sorry, sir, my wife wasn't feeling well this morning, so I was looking after her. It won't happen again," Draco explained wearily, wondering how Hermione was feeling.

"Good, it better not. Potter wants to speak to you in his office, so you better head up there."

With a swift nod Draco headed to his own office where he put some files away before turning to the fireplace and calling Harry.

"Draco, where have you been?" Harry asked when Draco's head had appeared in his fireplace.

"Hermione was sick this morning, so I was with her. Do you want me to come up?"

"Yep, that would be preferable," Harry responded and his office was illuminated in green light as the flames glowed brightly before Draco stepped out, dusting some soot off of his suit.

"So, what's the whole story?" Draco asked, taking a seat across from Harry who looked as though he had suffered from too many sleepless nights, no doubt because of the new baby.

"You know the basics. A few of Voldemort's followers who got off from going to Azkaban are trying to start his work again. They've formed their own little group, and they're after some of the old Death Eaters to help them with their work. Goyle had been hiding out since the end of the war because he managed to escape before we could get any Aurors on his trail, which was a pain. Anyway, he's back in England now and in hiding with the group. That's where you come in.

"Your father's ties to Voldemort make you a very valuable asset to them. Unfortunately, your rather public relationship with Hermione will make them suspicious if you join them, but with some acting and lying you should be able to get into their good books. Just act how you did before our sixth year at Hogwarts and you'll be fine.

"The meeting is on Wednesday night, and you'll be travelling with another undercover Auror to get there. He will introduce you to the group, tell them that you've got good potential, and then we'll see how we go after that," Harry said, watching for Draco's response.

"So basically, all I have to do is act like a stuck up git and I'll be fine?" he asked after a moment, smirking.

"Precisely," Harry laughed. "Come here at five o'clock in the afternoon on Wednesday, dressed in your darkest robes."

"No problem. Is that everything?"

When Harry nodded Draco flooed back to his office, wondering just how this case was going to work out.

***

"Ugh, I'm starving," Hermione complained, resting her head against a pillow as Ginny rushed around her.

"No wonder. You've eaten nothing today except for coffee, which, by the way, doesn't constitute as food, and then you've gone and thrown up anything else you've eaten in the last day! I'll get you a sandwich or something," the red-head said as she bustled around the kitchen. As soon as Hermione had felt well enough, she had flooed Ginny who had wasted no time in giving James to her mother before turning up at Hermione's apartment. Since then she had set Hermione up on the couch with a blanket, pillows and a cup of tea, and was now in the process of making a cheese sandwich for her friend.

"I don't know what it is. I must have eaten something bad," Hermione frowned, sipping at the tea. "D'you know if anyone else got sick after George and Angelina's?"

"I don't think they did. Harry and I felt fine afterwards. Maybe you just got a flu or something. I'll get mum to whip you up a potion. Until then, eat," Ginny said, forcing a plate into Hermione's hands and flopping down on the couch next to her.

***

**A/N:** Wow, that took longer than I thought it would. Sorry about that! I just haven't really had much of an inspiration hit for a while, and I've been working on some original fiction of my own as well. Anyway, please review! The song which this chapter is titled after is "Be Here Now," by Oasis.


	6. Accidental Babies

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, as much as I wish I did.**

***

Despite the countless potions from Molly, Hermione's nausea still persisted.

"Maybe you should go to see a Healer or something," Ginny suggested.

"I _am_ a Healer, Ginny," Hermione snapped, losing her cool with her friend.

"Well then if you're the expert, why don't you figure out what's wrong with yourself rather than relying on the rest of us to look after you," Ginny said, firing up instantly. It had been two weeks since Hermione's mysterious illness had begun, and Ginny had been the sympathetic friend from the beginning, but caring for the ever-stubborn Hermione was wearing her ragged.

"Well then why don't you just leave?" Hermione said angrily, not expecting Ginny to act on her words. However, the temperamental red-head did so, and disapparated with a loud crack. Swearing loudly at her own stupidity, Hermione decided to do just as Ginny had said and got changed hurriedly before apparating to St. Mungo's. For the tenth time that day she wondered where Draco was and what he was doing. Her husband had been working long days for the past two weeks, and was always so exhausted when he got home. It had begun to worry Hermione, and she thought about asking him where he had been as she waved toward the witch at the front desk.

After waiting in a short queue outside a Healer's office, she was called in by a deep voice.

"Hello, Hermione," said the voice as she sat down, and Hermione was surprised to see Healer Boomheart behind the desk.

"Sir, may I ask what you're doing here?" she asked curiously.

"There was an outbreak of Dragon Pox in the clinic, and so we've been understaffed. With you off sick as well, we've been particularly stressed out, and I decided to lend a helping hand down here. Now, what seems to be the problem?" Boomheart asked, looking at Hermione over the top of his glasses.

"Lately I've just been feeling very nauseas, I've been getting clammy, and just been feeling sick in general. I'm not an expert on sickness like this, so I didn't want to self-diagnose," Hermione frowned, as did Boomheart.

"Well, if you'll just lay up here on this bed, then I'll see if I can find the problem," he said, indicating a hospital bed in the corner. Hermione obliged, and Boomheart waved his wand over her, muttering to himself. "Oh ho, what do we have here?" he asked, his eyes sparkling and his face breaking out into a smile. "Well, well, this is most certainly good news."

Confused, Hermione sat up. "What…what is it? What did you see?"

"Congratulations, Mrs. Malfoy. You're pregnant!"

***

Draco was tired.

For the last two weeks he had been working around the clock to get into the good books of Voldemort's supporters so he could bring them down, and it hadn't been easy. He had decided that, despite the fact it was slower and wasted time, he would take the train home. It would give him a chance to think and be away from the wizarding world for a while, and at the moment, that was all he needed.

Leaning his head back against the grimy window, his mind drifted to the Wednesday when he had been introduced to the group.

"_Are you ready? Do you know what you're going to say?" Harry asked, looking Draco's dark attire up and down._

"_Yeah, I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Draco said, swallowing as Harry turned to summon the other undercover Auror in. A tall, slender woman wandered in with an easy grace and was introduced to Draco as Rose Parker by Harry._

"_Shall we?" Rose asked, indicating the fireplace where they would be flooing to the location of the meeting, and Draco nodded._

"_Good luck, Draco," Harry said as a farewell, and everything flashed a brilliant green before Draco and Rose stepped out of a grate and onto the cold stone floor of what appeared to be an old cellar. Looking around in mild confusion, it eventually dawned on Draco where they were – the basement of Malfoy Manor, the house which Draco had left deserted since the end of the war._

"_Rose," said a gruff voice, and Draco noticed as a tall, muscular man nodded to Rose. "Is that…?"_

"_Yes, just as I promised," Rose said, her voice taking on a cold note which Draco knew was synonymous to his dead aunt Bellatrix Lestrange's voice. _

"_First Goyle, now Malfoy. The whole gang's on its way back," the man said with a humorless laugh, and Rose nodded to him once. "The meeting's about to begin. You were the last to arrive." With another nod, Rose led Draco towards the stairwell. _

"_Ah, Rose!" someone cried out joyfully as the two of them reached the top of the staircase which opened out into the entrance hall of the house, and a familiar face surveyed Draco intently. "Draco Malfoy. It has been too long," Theodore Nott said, holding out his hand which Draco shook, and Draco identified him as the voice who had welcomed Rose so warmly. Rose stood to Nott's left, and another old face stood on his right._

"_Goyle," Draco said, inclining his head slightly toward his old friend, who glared at Draco. _

"_Draco Malfoy. I thought you had turned?" Nott said, posing the statement as a question._

"_The life that is so publicly splashed throughout the media is merely a mask," Draco said contemptuously, allowing the old sneer to come back onto his face. "I thought it prudent to at least attempt to lead a somewhat normal life for some time before returning to the old ways."_

"_And the relationship with the mudblood?" Nott asked, and the group of people around them, all dressed in black robes, laughed raucously, Draco realizing that Nott was the leader of the group._

"_Good publicity," Draco shrugged. "She means nothing to me."_

"_You seem sincere…a trait which is off-putting for a Malfoy to have, but our history leads me to believe you. Welcome to The Revival," Nott smiled, as though welcoming him to some sick, perverted theme park._

Stretching as the train came to a halt at Draco's station, he stood up, readjusting his suit jacket and striding from the platform and up into the cold air of another winter's night. It was two weeks until Christmas, and the decorations were coming out in force. Lights had been strung up all around the town, and they twinkled in dusk's glow.

Making a mental note to get started on his Christmas shopping for Hermione, Draco ran up the stairs two at a time before reaching his apartment. The front hall of Hermione and Draco's home had a small sideboard which was absolutely cluttered with Christmas cards from friends and relatives, and Draco smiled as he passed them by. The smell of pork chops, Draco's favourite meal, wafted towards him from the kitchen, and after shrugging out of his jacket and placing his bag in the bedroom, he snuck into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist from behind as she stood over the stove.

"Good evening, beautiful," he murmured, kissing her neck softly.

"Draco," she sighed softly, leaning back into his embrace. "I missed you."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But it's the weekend, and I told my boss that I'm not coming into work this weekend so I can spend it with you," he said, planting another kiss on the top of her head.

"That'll be nice. Now, if you don't want your dinner to be ruined, I suggest you sit down at the table," Hermione said, tapping Draco's arm with a wooden spoon.

Smiling, he sat down at the table and Hermione placed two plates of food down.

"Is there any particular reason why you made my favourite food for dinner?" Draco asked, taking a bite of the perfectly cooked meal.

"Well, I went to St. Mungo's today to see why I've been feeling so sick lately," Hermione began slowly, taking a large mouthful to avoid speaking.

"And?" Draco said anxiously, worried that something was wrong.

"Draco…I'm pregnant."

With a clatter, Draco dropped his fork. "Are…are you serious?"

"Yes," Hermione said quietly, avoiding looking Draco in the eye.

"Wow," he murmured, looking shocked. Hermione didn't say anything, but looked up at Draco, and under her gaze, his face broke out into a wide smile, surprising her. "We're going to have a baby!" he cried out.

"But I thought you didn't like kids?" she said, confused.

"I didn't think I liked kids either, but we're going to have our own little baby," he grinned, standing up from the table and pulling Hermione out of her seat. "We're going to be a family."

Feeling utterly relieved at Draco's reaction, she allowed herself to be pulled against his chest firmly, and her arms wrapped around his neck as his lips descended onto hers. He picked her up and spun her around and she laughed loudly, breaking the kiss.

"I love you," she squealed as she flew through the air.

"I love you too, and I love our baby," Draco smiled, planting her feet firmly on the ground. He put a hand between them and rested it on her stomach. "Just think, in nine months there's going to be a little Hermione running around."

"Don't I get a little Draco?" she pouted, and he chuckled.

"Nope, we're going to have a little girl, and she's going to look just like you," he decided firmly.

"That's not fair. I want a little boy with blonde hair running around," Hermione said after a moment of thinking.

"No way. There's going to be a beautiful girl with long brown curls curled up in a chair and reading some huge textbook when she's three years old," Draco joked, and Hermione giggled.

"God, this all seems so surreal," she murmured, looking up at him.

"Trust me, love, this is all real."

***

**A/N: **N'aw, this was just kind of a filler chapter to really get the story going. The title is the song "Accidental Babies," by Damien Rice, which is one of my all time favourite songs, so if you haven't heard it, please, please, please check it out. Please review, as they make me happy and inspire me to update. Just to let you all know, I'm going to be fairly busy this upcoming week, but I'll try and get an update up on Tuesday night, if not sooner. After that, don't expect another update for the rest of the week, but following all of that I'm on two months of holidays!


	7. I Want To Tell You

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, as they are all the property of J.K Rowling. I **_**do**_** however own this storyline, a rather large pile of Harry Potter and Harry Potter related books, and a cat which looks like Crookshanks. **

*******

Hermione woke up to an empty bed and frowned. Draco's alarm hadn't gone off, but he wasn't in bed. Still concerned about her husband's whereabouts, she rolled out of bed and threw on a robe over her pajamas and padded to the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Shit," she heard someone mutter, and she smiled to herself as she leant in the doorway to the kitchen where Draco was hovering over the stove with a spatula in hand. She could smell the pancakes cooking, and they made her mouth water.

"Need a hand?" she asked, trying not to laugh as Draco jumped and almost hit his head.

"I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed…then I remembered that I can't cook," he grinned and she laughed, walking over to him and encircling his neck with her arms.

"Being able to cook is always a plus when you _are_ cooking," she murmured against his lips. "Let's just go out for breakfast."

"Seeing as this is the third batch of pancake batter I've ruined, I think that would be a fantastic idea," he laughed as they separated. "You go on ahead and have a shower. I'll…well, I'll try and save this pan from the horrors of terribly burnt pancakes which have been inflicted upon it."

With another laugh, Hermione returned to the bedroom, shedding her robe and pajamas before stepping into a warm shower. Her thoughts were clear, screaming everything was wonderful. She was in love and married to the man of her dreams, she had a good career and she was going to have a baby. Smiling to herself, Hermione stepped out of the shower and wrapped a fluffy towel around herself and stepped back into the bedroom.

She decided that they would go to a muggle café for breakfast, and therefore muggle attire was in order. Perusing her rather extensive wardrobe, which was rather large thanks to Ginny, she thought to herself about how long she would be able to wear these clothes before her large stomach would get in the way. She decided to make the most of it and pulled out a white dress with a lacey trim, one of her favourite items in the wardrobe, and put on some thick black stockings beneath it. Shrugging into a black jacket, she slipped her feet into a pair of black ballet flats and smiled at her reflection as Draco walked in.

"You, my love, look absolutely mouthwatering," he said, issuing a low whistle as he appraised her outfit.

"Are you saying that I don't look mouthwatering all the time?" she pouted and he grinned.

"Of course you do, love. But that dress looks stunning," he compensated as he changed into his usual attire of all black clothing. She admired the contrast between his pale skin and the black jeans he wore teamed with a black coat over a black shirt.

"Do you own any clothing that isn't black?" she mused and he let out a low chuckle.

"Of course. Several items of my clothing are a distinct shade of midnight blue or grey," he joked, wrapping a black scarf around his neck. "Shall we?" he asked, holding out his hand and she nodded, picking up a black back and slinging it over her shoulder before grasping his hand.

As they stepped from their apartment building and onto the street, snow started to drift down from above, lodging itself and then melting in Hermione's tangled curls as they walked along towards her favourite café. The tiny hole-in-the-wall café was welcoming with a blazing fire going in the corner, and a server who had seen Hermione there regularly bustled over to the couple and led them to a table near the warmth provided by the flames.

"Can I get you two any drinks to start with?" the server asked, whipping out a pad and a pen.

"I'll have a chai latte, and he'll have a cappuccino, thank you," Hermione said, knowing exactly what Draco would order without even glancing at his face for confirmation.

"So, who do you think we should tell first?" Draco asked as they perused the breakfast menu.

"Tell who what?" Hermione queried, clearly confused.

"Oh, I don't know, love. Maybe we should tell people that in about eight months there will be a little Hermione running around."

"Oh, right. The baby," Hermione said suddenly. "Who do you want to tell?"

"Everyone's going to find out soon enough, but maybe we should just start by telling Harry and George and their families?" Draco suggested, thanking the waitress with a nod as she brought over their drinks.

"Now, what can I get you two?"

"I'll have the porridge with raspberries and brown sugar," Hermione said, handing her menu to the waitress.

"And I'll get the fruit toast, please."

Nodding, the waitress departed once more.

"So when should we start telling people?" Hermione asked as she watched the waitress' retreating back.

"I'm not sure. George will be working today, but Harry took the weekend off to be with Ginny and James, so we could pay them a visit."

"I should probably apologize to Ginny. I sort of got mad at her yesterday and she stormed out," Hermione explained.

"Then it's settled. We'll go and see Harry and Ginny and tell them the good news. How about we go to see George afterwards?" Draco offered, and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Here you two go, enjoy!" the server returned with their meals and placed them on the table, whisking away their now empty cups.

"I just realized that it's the first of December today," Hermione smiled, and Draco nodded. "We should set up the Christmas tree tonight."

Draco let out a groan. "Really? Do we have to?"

"Honestly, Draco. Yes, we do have to set up the tree, and _you're_ going to be helping me, so there. I don't see why you don't like putting it up. You seemed to enjoy decorating the apartment when we moved in," she noted, and he reluctantly agreed. When they had decorated the apartment a month after moving in, Draco had been very vocal about the style they had.

"Fine," he muttered, sounding like a child who hadn't gotten his way. They finished their breakfast in silence, Hermione thinking about how she was going to decorate the tree and Draco dreading the approaching evening with an unreasonable level of apprehension. Draco paid for the meal at the counter before wrapping his arm around Hermione's waist as they walked towards a nearby apparition safe zone where they would send a Patronus to Harry and Ginny before visiting.

Harry's stag came with a response only moments after Hermione's otter had left, informing them that the young family would be happy for the visitors. Draco and Hermione spun on the spot, appearing a little while away from 12 Grimauld Place in a deserted alleyway, and they walked hand in hand until the old headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix appeared.

Hermione knocked on the door twice, smiling up at Draco as she did so.

"Are you ready for this, love?" he murmured, releasing her hand and pulling her close to him in a more protective manner.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she whispered back as the front door opened onto Harry's smiling face.

"Hey, guys. Come on in. Ginny and James are in the kitchen," Harry grinned, hugging both of them and preceding the couple to the kitchen. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"Can't a girl and her man just visit their best friends without there being a reason?" came Hermione's retort.

"Hello Draco, Hermione," Ginny said, her greeting towards the latter much colder. She was bent over a crib, where James was gurgling happily.

"Gin, listen. I'm really sorry about yesterday. I was tired, and I have a very good reason for why I was acting so harshly all of a sudden," Hermione grimaced.

"Oh, really? Care to enlighten us then?" Ginny snapped, looking up at Hermione.

"It was the hormones. I'm pregnant."

After a moment of shocked silence, Harry was the first to react.

"Bloody hell, that's brilliant! Congratulations!" he said, kissing Hermione's cheek and hugging Draco again. "When did you find out?"

"Yesterday morning, after Ginny left," Hermione beamed, still anticipating Ginny's reaction.

"Yesterday morning?!" the red-head shrieked. "You found out yesterday morning, and it took you _this_ long to tell me?" she asked, flying towards Hermione and nearly knocking her down with a hug.

"Oops, sorry, Ginny," Hermione said sheepishly. "If it's any consolation, you were the first we told."

"So, there's going to be a little Malfoy running around the place," Harry mused, and Hermione smiled.

"That's for sure. We're going to have a little boy who will look just like Draco," she said, unconsciously resting her hands on her stomach.

"That's what you'd like to think, love, but in fact there's going to be a mini Hermione with the same bouncing brown curls," Draco said warmly, wrapping his arms around her from behind and placing his hands on top of hers.

"Either way, with your genes the kid is going to be damn good looking," Harry said with a wink, bending down to pick up James who reached up at his father's face.

"James is absolutely adorable," Hermione cooed, smiling at the baby who was now in Harry's arms.

"You better start taking notes, Hermione, because in about nine months you'll have your own little one to take care of," Harry laughed, jiggling James up and down gently, the baby responding with a happy gurgle.

"Oh dear. I wonder how that'll go done," Hermione frowned, and the others all laughed.

"Hey, Hermione, guess what I found out," Ginny prompted.

"What?"

"Ronald has a new girlfriend," grinned Ginny, sitting down at the dining table and gesturing for Draco and Hermione to do the same.

"Seriously? Who is it?" Hermione asked, following Ginny's lead and sitting down.

"Susan Bones," Ginny said, arching a brow at Hermione.

"_Susan Bones_? Are you kidding me," Hermione gasped incredulously.

"Draco, shall we leave the women to their gossip? I need to talk to you about something," Harry suggested, and Draco nodded. Planting a swift kiss on the top of Hermione's head, he followed Harry and baby James from the room.

"Let me guess, it's about the case?"

"Yeah, and I'm sorry for troubling you with it on the weekend, but I don't really have much time to come up and talk to you during the week. I trust that you know there's another meeting on Monday night?" Harry asked, swapping James in his arms.

"Rose mentioned it, and apparently Nott specifically requested my presence there," Draco shrugged.

"What do you think of Rose? I haven't really seen her on the field before. She was just chosen because she was pretty, and Kingsley thought it was best for a member of the Ministry to try and seduce Nott."

"She's pretty good. She knows what she's doing, and I don't think Nott suspects her at all. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. Something about her just seems a little…off," Harry decided after a moment.

"I suppose I get what you mean, but I don't think that's anything to hold against her," Draco frowned, and Harry nodded.

"You're right. My constant suspicions tend to get out of hand some times," he laughed.

"I'll keep an eye on her for you though, don't worry about it," Draco smiled. "Hermione and I should probably be heading off in a moment. We're planning to go and see Angelina and George to break the good news to them, and then Hermione wants to set up the Christmas tree tonight," Draco suppressed a groan.

"Ginny wants to do that tomorrow, and I'm dreading it. She's making a huge fuss about it all because it'll be James' first Christmas, but it isn't like he's going to remember it," Harry sighed, and Draco gave him a comforting punch on the arm.

"Oh, the things we do to please our women," he joked. "Hermione, should we go and see George and Angelina now?"

"Yeah, I totally forgot," Hermione said, flustered slightly at Draco's silent entrance. "Anyway, thanks for having us over. We'll see you soon, 'kay?"

After saying their goodbyes, Draco and Hermione decided to floo to George and Angelina's from Grimauld Place, and their news about the pregnancy was greatly accepted.

"Mum'll be happy. She's been pestering you two to settle down and have kids for years now," George said, hugging Hermione happily.

"Congratulations, you two. You're going to be great parents," Angelina smiled, and the group exchanged small talk for a while before the hour grew late, and Hermione and Draco decided it was best to return home.

***

"I hate doing this," Draco groaned, pulling out the pinecone which he had picked up on their way home from George's.

"Put it in the corner, over by the window," Hermione instructed, and Draco obliged. As he stepped back, Hermione waved her wand, and the pinecone began to grow into a tree trunk which then transfigured into a full tree, the top of which was just a foot below the ceiling. Hermione grinned triumphantly at her handiwork and, with another wave of her wand, lights shot from the tip of her wand and wrapped themselves around the trunk of the tree. This was followed by silver tinsel, which was then followed by a series of blue baubles which hovered towards the tree before looping themselves over the branches of the tree. "See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?"

"We're still not done. You forgot the star, love," he drawled, waving his own wand. An elegant silver star, lined with what appeared to be emeralds and rubies, appeared atop the tree, and Hermione gasped.

"It's beautiful," she whispered as her eyes grazed over the star. She let out a yawn and stretched.

"You should get to bed, love. I don't want my girls to get tired," Draco smiled.

"Your _girls_?" Hermione quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Yes, my girls. My gorgeous, sexy, intelligent, beautiful, funny, amazing wife, and our tiny little girl who will be with us in eight months," Draco grinned, placing a hand on Hermione's stomach.

"Psh. I still think we're having a boy," Hermione said, stifling another yawn as she put her hand on top of Draco's. Noticing her tiredness, Draco smiled to himself and scooped her up into his arms, bridal style. "What are you doing?" Hermione shrieked, shocked by his actions.

"I'm making sure my _girls_ get to bed safely, and what better way to do that than if I escort them myself," he murmured, kissing her head softly.

"I can walk there myself," she huffed, but she was trying to restrain herself from smiling.

"Oh I know, but this way is much more fun," Draco smirked, placing her on the bed and kissing her lips softly. "Goodnight, beautiful."

Yawning, Hermione wriggled out of her clothes and pulled on her pajamas before climbing beneath the bed sheets. "G'night, Draco," she mumbled before letting sleep claim her.

***

**A/N: **There you go! Please review, as reviews make me smile and encourage me to churn out the chapters faster. The next chapter will be more exciting, I promise. This one was just…meh. Also, the title is after the song "I Want To Tell You," by The Beatles.


	8. I'm Always In Love

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, they are the property of J.K. Rowling.**

***

"You ready?" Rose asked tersely.

"Yes," Draco nodded curtly.

"Let's go then," she said, stepping into the fireplace. Draco followed suit and grabbed a handful of floo powder.

"Malfoy Manor," he stated clearly, throwing the powder down and disappearing in a burst of green flames.

"Rose, Draco! So nice of you to finally join us," Nott said snidely as they took their places in the circle. Rose sat in a large plush armchair directly to Nott's left, whereas Draco sat two seats away from being his direct right-hand man. "Now that we've all arrived, we can really begin.

"As you all know, we have been discussing the possibility of taking some action against our cause. Since the unfortunate demise of the Dark Lord, an increasing number of pure-blood wizards have been becoming involved with the scum that are muggle-borns. As a result of this, the pure-blood wizarding lines are dying out, and quickly. As each day passes, more and more wizards are getting married to muggle-borns and having children. This must be stopped!" Nott's voice rang out clearly throughout the large room. The other members of The Revival listened in intent silence. "We must take action," he continued, his voice lower, captivating the few members who dared not pay attention.

"We have a few very useful members who can leak us information from within the Ministry, and the Department of Mysteries no less," Nott said, nodding his head towards Draco who nodded back solemnly. "And let us not forget my darling Rose, who can give us any information revealed to her by Potter," he smiled fondly at Rose, though he had spat out Harry's name as though it were dirt. "With all the information we can receive, it should not be difficult for us to perform a partial takeover. Even though there has been increased security since the end of the second war, these precautions have begun to fade away, and soon, I am sure, security levels will return to normal.

"I do not want us to run in blind! No matter how much you want to go in and infiltrate the ministry, follow my advice and only do so once we have enough information and we have planned out! This will, even with our best efforts, take the best of another year," the group groaned, "but we will get there, and we will be victorious!"

At his last words the room erupted into loud cheers, and Nott looked over the gathering with an air of superiority, smiling smugly. Draco leant back in his chair, grinning, but at the same time worry was niggling at the back of his mind. He watched as Nott leant over and kissed Rose's cheek, and she smiled tenderly up at him. Draco noticed the look in Rose's eyes; it was real feeling for him, real love. Sensing an impending complication, he cleared his throat loudly over the group who had now broken off into smaller circles, no doubt discussing Nott's plans.

"If that is everything, Nott, I should probably be getting home," he said once everyone had quieted enough for Nott to hear him.

"Back to the mudblood?" Nott sneered, attracting the attention of the rest of the group who jeered.

"Yes, back to the mudblood. I must keep up appearances," Draco said smugly, and Nott smirked.

"Indeed you must, Draco. Appearances are everything in your position. With that, you may leave and go back to your…_wife_," he finished, grimacing as the last word rolled off his tongue. "The rest of you are free to leave whenever you wish to do so. Until next time, Draco."

Nodding once more towards Nott and casting another glance at Rose who had gone back to keeping her cool exterior, Draco decided to apparate away, rather than alert The Revival to his address. He stepped outside and shivered in the cool air as he looked at the old courtyard, now overgrown from the years gone by without tending. As he surveyed the area, he heard the old front door creak open and quiet footsteps approaching him.

"Draco," said a heavy voice, and Draco turned his head slightly to see Goyle approaching.

"Long time no see, friend," Draco said coolly, returning his gaze to the weeds which plagued his mother's once prized flower garden.

"Friend?" Goyle mused. "I hardly think we can be considered friends."

"But why not? Time should not come between us."

"It isn't time that came between us. You're not faking your love for Granger," Goyle pointed out, and shock flitted across Draco's face. When they had been ins school, Goyle had hardly been able to string two intelligible words together, but now he was perceptive, more so than anyone else at the meetings.

"Well, aren't you the observant one now, Goyle," Draco drawled.

"Don't belittle me, Malfoy," Goyle grunted.

"Even if you think that I'm not faking my love for the mudblood, you're wrong. You don't know anything about me, just as I don't know anything about you. You've changed. Grown," Draco noted.

"Living on the run for five years does that to you. I should tell Nott that you're faking it," Goyle reverted back to the original subject, and Draco scowled into the darkness.

"Even if he _did_ believe the lies you're spouting from your warped perceptions, once he heard my side of the story he would believe me. You aren't the most reliable of sources, Goyle," Draco snapped. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to leave."

"Fine. See you around, _friend_," Goyle retorted as Draco turned on the spot, disappearing with a loud crack into the darkness.

***

"Harry, can I talk to you for a minute," Draco murmured hurridily, tugging on Harry's arm as the swarms of Ministry workers made their way to their offices for a new week at work. Two weeks had elapsed since the meeting where Goyle had voiced his suspicions, but Draco had not been given a chance to talk to Harry in private.

"Sure, but can we make it quick? I need to be in Kingsley's office in ten minutes," Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. Draco noticed how tired he looked, and he didn't think it was just because of the baby. Harry had been working very long hours to try and keep on top of all his work, and all of this on top of a new baby at home was just wearing him out.

"No problem," Draco started. "I think that someone may have leaked some information about the case."

"Why would you say that?" Harry asked sharply, pulling Draco further away from the crowd of workers in case one of them decided to eavesdrop.

"Goyle talked to me at the meeting two weeks ago. He told me he knew I wasn't faking my love for Hermione, and he said he could tell. Goyle isn't exactly the brightest, or at least he wasn't at school, and even if he's changed I don't think he would pick up on that. I mean, none of the other group members have, so why would _he_?" Draco explained, worry creeping into his voice.

"Who do you think would and could have said anything?" Harry asked, looking at Draco intently.

"I don't know. But I just thought you should know that I think someone may have leaked some information."

"Thanks for that, mate. I'll see if I can look into it myself," Harry said, giving Draco a reassuring smile. "Shit, I've got to go. Keep me updated."

"Not a problem," Draco said as Harry turned and hurried away. Sighing to himself, Draco managed to squeeze into a lift and get to his office for another long day.

***

"Do we have to go to The Burrow on Christmas Eve?" Draco sighed as he sat across from Hermione at the dining table as they ate their dinner, three days before Christmas Eve. Draco was on holidays, as was Hermione, and they had been relishing the time that they had been able to spend together without the constant interruptions of work.

"I already told Molly we would be there, but I also told her that we're spending Christmas day together, just the two of us, so we won't be there for lunch. Come on, be a good sport," Hermione coaxed him, and he frowned.

"I suppose. It's just Weasley family gatherings are always so loud, and they never seem to end. I take it the whole brood will be there?" Draco asked, and Hermione nodded.

"Without a doubt. George and Angelina will be bringing Fred, Bill and Fleur have Victoire, Harry and Ginny are bringing James, and Percy and Penelope are coming as well. Molly told me that Charlie was coming back from Romania as well. Oh, and Ron will be bringing Susan, I suppose. Of course, Teddy will be there too," Hermione counted off the people on her fingers, ignoring Draco's grimace.

"So there will be eighteen of us there? Are you kidding me?"

"No, there's going to be nineteen of us. I forgot little Molly," Hermione said after a moment of thinking, remembering the child Percy and Penelope had together.

"Great, even better," Draco groaned.

"It'll be fine. And it will be just the two of us here on Christmas Day," Hermione smiled at him, standing up from the table and waving her wand so the empty dishes flew to the sink and began washing themselves.

"Well then," Draco murmured, following her lead by standing before pulling her body to his, "we better make the most of it all." He slowly kissed his way up her neck, feeling her body relax and turn to jelly in his arms.

"I think we should," she whispered, tilting her head upwards to catch his lips in a kiss. No matter how many kisses they had shared since they had gotten together, Hermione was always reminded of the first kiss they shared that night so many years back during the Masquerade Ball of their seventh year. There was still that spark and that impenetrable warmth which filled their bodies whenever their lips touched, even if it was only for the tiniest of moments. She moved her arms so they circled around his neck, and she tangled her hands in his blonde hair, pulling him closer to her.

"We really should take advantage of this," he breathed between kisses, "but let's just hold out until Christmas day." He pulled back from the kiss, but didn't untangle himself from her grasp. She let out an annoyed groan.

"But why?" she complained, resting her head on his shoulder when she realized he wouldn't give into her methods of seducing him.

"Because, love, then it can be like another Christmas present," he smirked, and she pouted, but removed her hands from his hair anyway.

"You're so mean," she said, and he laughed, pulling her flush against his body and kissing the top of her head.

"Maybe, but you still love me."

"At least, that's what I tell you. I'm just in it for the sex," she winked, and he laughed again.

"You're unbelievable, my little wife."

"I'm not _that_ little! You're just a giant," she poked her tongue out at him, and he grinned, shaking his head.

"No, I'm quite sure you're tiny," Draco grinned, and he scooped her up like she was a doll. "See, if you were a _normal_ size then I wouldn't be able to pick you up like this."

"Put me down!" she squealed, but Draco just shook his head.

"Not a chance, love," he said, loving how she could make him act like such a carefree teenager just by being there. He adjusted her so she was cradled in his arms, and all foolishness flew out the window as she rested her head against his chest, looking up at him through her long eyelashes. Carrying her like she was made of glass, Draco sat on one of the large armchairs in the corner, seating her in his lap. "I can't even put into words how amazing you are to me," he murmured.

"You don't have to say a word," she replied, leaning into his embrace.

***

"Draco, Hermione! It's wonderful to see you!" Molly cried out happily. "You're the last ones to arrive, so come in, come in!"

It was late afternoon, and the sky was a light grey, threatening snowfall. As soon as Hermione and Draco stepped into The Burrow, they were assaulted by several things. The first of these was the intoxicating aromas which came from the kitchen. The second was how amazing the house looked, with Christmas decorations strewn everywhere.

The third thing was a small girl with rippling blonde hair tackling Hermione's legs, and a boy with flaming red hair latching onto Draco's. Hermione bent down and scooped up Victoire into her arms, and Draco did the same with Fred, but Hermione noticed his mild hesitation before doing so.

"Hermy, Hermy, Hermy, Hermy!" Victoire chanted over and over again, latching onto Hermione tightly whilst Hermione held the child with a slightly bemused expression.

"Draco!" Fred cried out happily as Draco picked him up, and the boy grinned up at him.

"Hey, Victoire. Where are your mum and dad?" Hermione cooed, planting a tiny kiss on Victoire's forehead.

"Kitchen!" Victoire said, smiling broadly.

"Then why don't we go and find them!" Hermione said enthusiastically, leading the way for Draco towards the kitchen.

"Come on, Fred, let's go and find your mummy and daddy," Draco smiled, restraining a grimace as Fred nodded whilst placing a rather sticky hand on his chest.

"Look who we found!" Hermione cried out as they got to the kitchen where all the adults were standing around the table, drinks in hand, chatting happily.

"Yay!" Victoire cried out as Bill accepted the little girl from Hermione, and Fred struggled in Draco's arms until he put the boy down, at which point he ran to Angelina who smiled tenderly at her son.

Hermione and Draco greeted everyone, and Draco accepted a bottle of butterbeer whilst Hermione passed on it, having still not broken the news of her pregnancy to the majority of the group, instead accepting some pumpkin juice. They all engaged in easy chatter for an hour or so, until Molly told them all to sit down at the long table. With the large number of people, the room was rather cramped, but they all managed to fit in.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Arthur said cheerfully, standing at the head of the table and looking over the large group. After these words they all dug into the food which had been lain out across the table, all enjoying Molly's incredible cooking. Silence filled the kitchen as the large group ate, everyone enjoying the dinner far too much to talk.

George was the first to finish, and he leant back in his chair resting his hands on his stomach. "So, Hermione, do you have any interesting news to share with us?" he smirked, and she would have scowled had her mouth not been full of roast potato.

"Wow, thanks for that, George," she managed to choke out after swallowing the large mouthful quickly. George's comment had now attracted the interest of the rest of the people at the table, who were now staring intently at Hermione. "Well, um, I'm pregnant."

The table erupted into loud congratulations, shrieks from the women who had not yet found out, confusion from the children, and embarrassment from Hermione. She flushed a brilliant red and looked around the table to see people from all directions smiling at her, except for Ron whose face was still one of immense shock. Following her gaze, Draco saw her looking at Ron, and despite the fact that their grudge had been settled long ago, he still felt a pang of jealousy through him.

Draco squeezed her hand softly, and she turned to look at him, still embarrassed but smiling lightly. He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers gently, and she pushed against his with a bit more force. Somewhere around them, he heard George wolf-whistling and he smiled into the kiss before breaking it off before it started to become uncomfortable for the other guests. Hermione grinned at Draco, her embarrassment long gone, before turning and smiling at the other guests.

"Congratulations!" Molly beamed. "That's fantastic, you two!"

"I think some drinks are in order," Bill grinned, standing up from the table and heading over to pull out a bottle of elf-made wine and some butterbeer, levitating glasses full of liquid to the people around the table, minus Hermione who accepted some more pumpkin juice. Everyone approached Hermione and Draco with their congratulations with the exception of Ron. Even Susan approached them, offering a shy but happy comment about the pregnancy.

As the night wore on, Hermione noticed Ron slip outside by himself, leaving Susan in a conversation with Fleur. Draco was immersed in talk with Harry, Bill and George about Quidditch, so she excused herself and followed Ron, shivering as the cold winter wind blew around her. She wrapped her coat tighter and approached her friend cautiously.

"Hey, 'Mione," he murmured at her approach, not noticing her cringe at the use of the nickname.

"Hi. What are you doing out here?" she asked, avoiding his gaze and instead becoming interested in the stars.

"I just need a breath of fresh air. It's really crowded in there, you know."

"I noticed."

They stood in awkward silence for a few minutes, before Hermione decided she was getting too cold and decided to head in.

"Are you still happy with him?" Ron asked once she had turned and was approaching the back door.

"What?"

"During our last year of Hogwarts, I asked if you were happy with him, and you said that you were happier than you had ever been. But I also remember you telling me once that you didn't want to be married young, and you didn't want to start a family when you were young. So tell me this: now that you're twenty-two, married and pregnant, are you still happy with Malfoy?" Ron's voice was bitter, betraying the cool mask of his face.

"Of course I'm still happy with him, Ron. Just because my life didn't go exactly the way I had originally planned for it to go doesn't mean I wouldn't be happy. I don't know what you want from me," she sighed, shaking her head before turning away from him once again and entering the warmth of The Burrow, making her way to Draco who was sitting on a couch looking tired. She sat down beside him and cuddled up to his chest. "Do you want to go home?" she mumbled.

"I thought you'd never ask," he grinned. "Shall we?"

"Most definitely. Let me just say goodbye to Molly and Arthur, and then we'll apparate home."

Draco nodded and bade farewell to a few people before waiting for Hermione by the front door. She pulled him outside into the chilly air and tightened her grip on his hand before they both disappeared with a loud crack.

***

**A/N: **Gah, I'm still not happy with this chapter. Sorry it took me so long to get it out, but I've had one of the busiest, stressful, but still best weeks of my life. Now, however, I'm on holidays for 2 months, so there should hopefully be updates a lot more often. The title is "I'm Always In Love," by Wilco, who are absolutely amazing. Please review!


	9. Brown Eyes

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, as they are all the property of J.K. Rowling!**

***

Hermione felt the warmth of the early winter sun on her face as she woke, and she smiled as she burrowed closer to Draco's body, burying her face in his chest. Still half-asleep, Draco tightened his hold around her body and she inhaled deeply, breathing in his scent. She could smell the soap clinging to him from last night's shower, and coffee. She could never explain it, but Draco always smelt like coffee to her, warm and inviting.

"'Morning, gorgeous," he mumbled after a few more silent minutes.

"Merry Christmas, baby," she murmured, pulling out of his embrace slightly to press her lips against his, and he eagerly returned the kiss. "Let's go open our presents."

Smiling as Hermione rolled out of bed and hurried towards the living room, Draco followed, pulling on some pants as he went and grabbing his wand. He found Hermione kneeling on the ground in front of a pile of presents beneath the tree which had appeared overnight from various friends and relatives. Picking up the first gift, Hermione began to unwrap a large parcel from Molly and Arthur, grinning when a bulky jumper fell out as well as some homemade mince pies. Draco found the same in his parcel from the Weasley parents, and they both pulled the jumpers on, Draco's adorned with a large 'D' and in an emerald green colour, and Hermione's red with a large 'H' on the front.

As the continued to open the presents, Hermione got, as usual but still much to her elation, a series of new books from Harry, Ginny and Ron. George and Angelina had given her a framed photograph of Draco and Hermione getting married which George had managed to sneak in. Bill and Fleur had sent some things for the baby, and her parents had given her a very pretty journal.

Draco opened a new jacket from Harry and Ginny (Ron had conveniently forgotten to get Draco a present despite Draco's gift of a bottle of firewhisky), and George and Angelina had sent a bottle of the same firewhisky Draco had given Ron.

"You forgot my present," Hermione scolded, handing Draco an envelope. He raised a brow but she just smiled secretively, and he ripped it open to reveal two plane tickets to Paris. "You told me that when you were little your mother used to take you to France and how much you loved it, so I thought that after the baby was born we could go on a family holiday."

"Thank you, love, it's wonderful," Draco murmured, pulling Hermione to him and kissing her cheek softly.

"Where's _my_ present?" she pouted playfully, and Draco chuckled.

"Yours is a little bit too big to wrap, and I don't have it here, but we have to go to it rather than bring it to us," Draco explained and Hermione frowned. "Why don't we have some breakfast and then we'll go."

"What _is_ it?" Hermione asked, her brow furrowed with confusion.

"You'll find out soon enough. Now how about we just have a quick breakfast so we can get to the exciting stuff," Draco urged, and Hermione shot him a resigned look before standing and waving her wand quickly, causing two bowls to fly out of the cupboard along with some muesli and milk.

"Is it a pet?" Hermione queried after eating in silence for a little bit.

"My lips are sealed. I never knew you were so impatient," Draco smirked.

"Well, if it isn't an animal, then why can't you show it to me now?"

"I like the suspense," he laughed, and that was all he would say on the subject.

Snow was settling outside as the couple emerged from their apartment and walked to an apparition safe-zone nearby.

"We have to apparate there, I take it?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Hold onto my arm. I'm not telling you where we're going, so you'll have to do side-along apparition," Draco said, smiling as Hermione scowled but grasped his hand tightly anyway. With that the two were sucked into darkness with a pop, appearing instead on the outskirts of a picturesque little village, with the top of the little houses all covered in a fine dusting of snow.

"What are we doing here?" Hermione asked, shivering and causing Draco to wrap his arm around her waist more securely to try and keep the cold out.

"I'm taking you to your present," he smiled, and she bit her lip in confusion.

They walked for a short way, turning down a little road and carrying along until they came to a tiny cottage which seemed to have come straight out of a fairytale.

"Merry Christmas, Hermione," Draco murmured, putting a hand in his pocket and pulling out a key. Hermione's eyes widened considerably and she turned, absolutely speechless, between Draco and the house.

"A…house? You bought us a house?" she gasped.

"I prefer to think of it as a modest little abode, and I bought it for _you_ and our baby. Shall we?" he asked, indicating the little haphazard path which led to a wooden front door. She nodded and followed him along the path and through the front door which had opened with the little key.

As soon as she stepped over the threshold, all possible words escaped her. In the corner of the room, a fire was roaring in the grate of an old fireplace, throwing the room into a soft orange glow and spreading warmth through her body. It was the main room of the house, obviously, with the dining table, kitchen and sitting areas all in the one large room. The room's furnishings were dark yet cozy, and she could already imagine herself curled up on one of the armchairs in the corner with her battered copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ and a lovely cup of tea. The walls were lined with books, and her eyes widened at the sheer number of volumes within the room, at the same time excitement creeping through her body.

"The master bedroom is just through here, and what will become the baby's room next to it," Draco smiled, pleased with Hermione's enthusiastic reaction to the little house. "I talked to some people at the Ministry and cast an undetectable extension charm on the place so we have more room than appears. I figured that you'd have too many books for the original size to hold, so I pulled some strings and we can expand if we need to."

"This is unbelievable. And it's just so perfect," Hermione murmured, utterly awestruck as she followed Draco into the master bedroom, where the dark tones continued. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the large king-sized bed and she grinned. "Show me our baby's room."

Draco nodded and obliged, taking her hand and leading her to the room next door where her breath was immediately taken away once more. It was in here that the true magic of the house was. The floor was a light wood, differing dramatically from the dark hardwood floors in the rest of the house, and the walls were a very soft yellow. There was an old rocking chair in the corner next to the baby's crib, and all through the room there were signs of its heritage, both the muggle and wizarding sides.

"What do you think?" Draco asked as Hermione looked around the room.

"I think that we're going to be moving in straight away," she smiled triumphantly, and Draco's face mirrored her own as she kissed his lips. "I also think that we should go and test out that fantastic looking king-sized bed," she added cheekily, and Draco smirked.

"Oh really? I think that might be an excellent idea," he murmured, picking her up and carrying her to the bedroom.

***

Life carried on as normal.

Hermione and Draco moved into the little house and fell into a regular routine once again. The days slipped into weeks, and the weeks slipped into months. The seasons changed and soon, five months had gone by and spring was upon them once more. Hermione seemed to be growing larger by the day, her pregnancy running smoothly with no complications to speak of.

She would still go to work, but found that her workload had been reduced because of her current 'state', and she could often be heard complaining to Ginny or Draco about it. Draco had been working even longer hours, and the stress was beginning to get to him.

"Our plans for a takeover are coming along quite nicely," Nott said with a smug smile as Draco tried not to fidget uncomfortably in his seat at another meeting with The Revival. "The first part of our plan should be put into motion in the next few days, thanks to our good friend Goyle. And let us not forget the generous donation by Draco here which has helped fund our cause." The crowd muttered words of approval before Nott silenced them with a raised hand. "Whilst we are on the subject of our _dear_ friend, Draco, I must ask, how is the mudblood's pregnancy going?" Nott asked with a sneer, and the other members jeered.

Draco hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to answer. "Flawlessly," he finally decided on, not saying any more.

"Oh? Well indeed that _is_ good news for us all to hear," Nott continued, his tone dripping with sarcasm, and the group laughed loudly. Draco forced his lips to turn upwards slightly. "Give her my best, won't you? If you're lucky, I may just send a little present to her for the baby." The crowd cheered at this as Nott's tone turned ominous. Revulsion and worry clawed at Draco's insides, and he could feel the bile burning at the back of his throat at the thoughts of what Nott would send Hermione flashed through his mind, each one worse than the last. "That is all for tonight. Keep your eyes on The Daily Prophet for news of our first act," Nott said dismissively, and Draco all but ran from the room before apparating to the Ministry. It was late, but he knew Harry would be waiting for Draco's updates on the meeting.

Impatience flooded through Draco's body as he fought his way through the crowd of Ministry workers who were leaving for the night after a long day. He finally emerged from the crowd and hurried to the elevators, tapping his foot and wringing his hands impatiently as he waited for it to reach its destination and for the cool voice to announce that he had reached the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and when the chime sounded and the voice spoke, it took all of Draco's willpower not to sprint towards Harry's office. Instead he walked at a brisk pace, sidestepping other employees who were trailing from the building slowly with no real hurry to be anywhere.

"Harryhe'sgoingtotryandhurther!" Draco blurted out, his words running together as he barged through the door to Harry's office without bothering to knock.

Harry looked up at the intrusion. "Draco? What's wrong?" he demanded, standing up and pulling his wand out instinctively as he saw the worry and fear on Draco's features.

"Nott…he's going to hurt Hermione and the baby," Draco said after a deep breath, and he saw anger and fear flicker over Harry's features.

"Sit down and I'll get you something to drink," Harry ordered, and the blonde man followed his orders, sitting down across from Harry who had summoned some firewhisky and shot glasses over to them, pouring the amber liquid out. Draco downed the shot and ran his hand through his hair, wincing as the liquid burnt the back of his throat. "What happened?" Harry asked, and Draco looked up at him with a pained expression. "Start from the beginning," he added.

"They're planning a takeover of sorts, but they're starting small. Nott said that the first part of the plan will begin very soon, and Goyle will have caused it. I think it will be a murder or something similar. They want to get their message across," Draco scowled, and Harry nodded.

"Then what did he say about Hermione?"

"He…he asked how her pregnancy was going, and then said that he might send her a present for the baby. He's going to send her something to try and hurt her and the baby. I can't lose them, Harry," he finished, his voice quiet, aggrieved.

"I know, and I promise you won't lose them. We'll get some Aurors searching through any suspicious packages that are sent to either of you, and there will always be one in Hermione's area, don't worry," Harry said reassuringly, but Draco couldn't help but feel that she would still be in danger somehow. "Go home, Draco."

Draco nodded once, jaw clenched. He feared that if he opened his mouth to speak that all his fears would come pouring out, and he couldn't burden Harry more than he already had. Draco stepped into the fireplace, disappearing in a roar of green flames and appearing in the grate of the fireplace at the small house in the countryside.

"You're late," Hermione greeted him with, but she smiled serenely at him from her position on the sofa, book in hand, her face soft and eyes welcoming.

"I know, love, I'm sorry," he said quietly, and Hermione's smile turned into a frown.

"What's wrong?" she asked, standing up from the couch slowly with one hand on her back, the other on the couch for support and walking over to face him.

"Nothing, I'm just tired," he lied, melting in the warmth of her chocolate eyes.

"You of all people should know that I'm no fool, Draco Malfoy, so don't you dare try and lie to me. I can read you like a book, and something is clearly wrong," Hermione said sternly, one hand on her hip and the other on her enlarged stomach.

"I can't tell you," he muttered after a few moments of silence, and Hermione scowled.

"Stupid Unspeakables. You are my husband, and when something is troubling you I should damn well be able to know what's wrong with you, screw the secrecy!" Hermione snapped.

"I don't want to face a life in Azkaban because I told you one little thing that's troubling me. It isn't even a big deal, okay? Can we drop it?" Draco asked, growing weary of trying to hide what was on his mind.

"I don't really think that it is a good idea for us to drop it, but fine. We'll talk about something else," sighed Hermione, resuming her seat carefully with some help from Draco.

"Thank you. How was your day, love?"

***

Hermione Malfoy was hurrying through the crowd on a busy London street, eager to get to her destination on time so as to not make the person she was meeting leave without seeing her. She had decided on meeting them at a muggle restaurant for fear of being overheard by members of the wizarding public, and she really didn't want anyone seeing them.

Hermione rounded the corner and quickened her pace, finally reaching the small restaurant where her guest, Harry, was waiting patiently for her arrival.

"Hermione, you're looking wonderful," he greeted her with a smile and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, Harry. How have you been?" she asked out of sheer politeness, and she listened, nodding and commenting briefly as he talked about family life with Ginny and James.

"Now, I take it this isn't a social visit?" he said after a few minutes of talking.

"What gave you that idea?" Hermione questioned, feigning innocence.

"If it was, you would have insisted that Ginny was here with James so you two could share baby talk, or something like that. Why did you want to meet me for lunch in a muggle restaurant?"

"I need to talk to you about Draco," she said firmly, watching as Harry's mouth fell and formed a perfect O-shape.

"What about him?"

"He's scared and worried, Harry, and I know that you know why. I need you to tell me," Hermione said, leaving no room for discussion from the Boy Who Lived.

"I can't tell you anything, Hermione, and you know that. This is about his work, and although I do know what it is about, the matter is so serious that I can't talk about it to anyone outside of those directly involved," Harry said, choosing his words with caution and rolling around each word before deciding it was the correct one for the situation.

"Look, I know that I am one of the strongest abiders of the rules, but honestly, at the moment, I don't give a fuck about rules. I need to know what's wrong, and if what he's working on is dangerous," Hermione demanded.

"Hermione, I- " Harry started, but Hermione cut him off.

"Don't give me any of that bullshit about not being able to say anything, Harry!" Hermione said impatiently. "I am _pregnant_ with Draco's child, and I don't know if I could stand anything happening to him, okay? I can't lose him, so could you at least cut me a break and tell me if I need to look out for him? I…I need him."

Harry watched her fiddle with her food which had been delivered, fighting an internal debate with himself. He _knew_ that Hermione should be able to know what Draco was doing and where he was going, but he also knew that it could compromise the entire investigation, and he couldn't have that. He needed a happy medium, but he had no idea where that was.

"Hermione," he began, "just hear me out," he added as Hermione opened her mouth to interrupt once more. "Yes, Draco is working on something at the moment, and it could potentially get dangerous, but there is no chance that he will get injured or hurt in any way. I can't tell you any more than that, because this is a huge operation, and if anything is leaked it could end in disaster."

Hermione felt both fear and relief descend on her. Fear because, despite Harry's reassurances, she was worried about Draco's safety, but relief because she knew at least the tiniest detail about Draco's work life, something she had never been informed about in the past. "Thank you," she murmured finally. "I should go."

With a brief wave and a peck on the cheek, Hermione departed, her mind whirling between thoughts of Draco, his work, and their baby.

***

**A/N:** Faaaaar out! That took me so much longer than I expected! I'm so sorry for the longer than normal absence. I've been busier than I thought and life has been fairly crazy as of late, but this update is here now! The song that it's titled after is "Brown Eyes," by Lady Gaga. Please read and review!


	10. As I Went Out One Morning

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters within this story.**

***

There was one thing about pregnancy that really stood out to Hermione. It wasn't the fact that she had grown an abnormally large stomach. It wasn't the fact that she would quite often wake up (or, more often than not, wake Draco up) at three o'clock in the morning to go and get some bizarre food combination which generally ended being pickles and peanut butter. It wasn't the fact that she could feel the baby kicking, which, although it was astounding, was not something that she particularly enjoyed, especially when it shocked her whilst carrying a cup of tea, causing her to drop the tea and smash another cup.

What _really_ stood out to Hermione was the maternity leave, and it was this particular thing that Hermione had grown to enjoy.

On this particular morning, into her third week of maternity leave, Hermione woke up, reaching out to find Draco, her eyes snapping open when she realized the bed was empty of his presence. With a frown she sat up carefully in bed, her eyes drawn to the old grandfather clock in the corner which informed her that it was in fact ten o'clock in the morning, and the only way Draco would still be home was if he was running extremely late for work on that Wednesday morning. Confused at how she had managed to sleep so late, but happy at the long rest nonetheless, Hermione padded to the bathroom quietly, shedding her pajamas along the way.

Turning on the taps in the bath, she turned to face the mirror as the room slowly fogged up with steam emitting from the hot water. She placed her hands on her breasts, swollen from the pregnancy, before moving them down to rest on her large stomach. At her touch she felt the baby kick, and she smiled softly as the mirror covered in steam, leaving her reflection a vague outline against the hazy glass. She slowly climbed into the full bathtub, enjoying the feeling of her body being immersed in the warm water.

Hermione trailed her fingers over her stomach, her mind consumed with thoughts of the baby, until the water began to grow cold, at which point she returned to the bedroom wrapped in a fluffy towel. Glancing at the clock she noticed it was nearly midday, and the memory of Ginny arriving with James at noon drifted to the front of her mind and she gasped. After drying herself off quickly and pulling on her favourite maternity dress, she moved towards the main room of the house to get a quick cup of tea before Ginny's arrival.

Reaching the kitchen, there was a knock on the front door and Hermione frowned. There was still twenty minutes until Ginny was supposed to arrive, and Hermione wasn't expecting any other visitors before then. Nevertheless, she moved to open the front door which, upon opening, revealed no visitors but merely a bunch of flowers on the doorstep. Confused but still pleased, she picked up the flowers which, following a closer inspection appeared to be roses, and found a note which was written in an elaborate cursive:

_Dearest Hermione,_

_I am so awfully pleased to hear about your recent marriage to my dear old friend Draco, as well as the wonderful news of your pregnancy. Please accept these flowers as a belated congratulatory present, and I wish you all the best in your marriage and with your pregnancy and the new baby._

_Sincerely,_

_An old acquaintance_

_P.S. Be wary of the thorns._

Still confused but rather pleased with the flowers, she summoned a vase to the kitchen and filled it with water before carefully unwrapping the flowers from the delicate tissue paper they had been sheathed in. She cut the ends of the flowers off, always wary of the thorns, before placing them one by one into the vase until she felt a pain in her finger and saw that it had been pierced by the thorn.

"Ouch," she muttered, reaching for a tissue to wrap around the bleeding area before she got blood anywhere. She stepped back to lean against the counter, and as she did so the room began to spin, and bile burnt at the back of her throat.

Hermione opened her mouth to gasp for air as she stumbled towards the sofa before she fell over and harmed the baby, but she didn't feel like she was moving anywhere. Her feet seemed to drag, and the room became foggier, more distant. Somewhere nearby there was a loud pop, but the sound was heavily muffled to Hermione's ears. She reached out, desperate to grasp onto something that she could steady herself with, but there was nothing, and then she could feel the blackness creeping up on her, grasping her and trying to pull her into a state of utter nothingness.

"Reducto," she heard a cry, and then what sounded like a sort of explosion, and then she was floating.

***

Everything was hurting.

Hermione's eyes opened slowly to reveal a room devoid of human life, and she recognized that she was in a room at St. Mungo's, the thought registering slowly before her eyes closed again, her body too weary to hold them open any longer. She could hear sounds from outside, people taking in hushed tones, and she could not force herself to distinguish one word from another.

Just as she felt the blissful feeling of sleep begin to claim her, she heard a voice louder than all the rest, the only voice that could coax her out of her slumber.

"Honestly, Potter, I know we're friends and you're and Auror and all, but if you even try and think about stopping me, I will not hesitate in cursing you to the next century, so get the hell out of my way and let me see my wife!"

At Draco's voice she opened her eyes once more in time to see him pushing Ron out of the way of the doorframe, and rushing to her side.

"Hermione," he whispered, his voice heartbreakingly sad as he crouched beside her bed, grasping her hand in his.

"It hurts, Draco," she croaked, surprised that she could even make a sound.

"I know, love, I know," he murmured, and Hermione could see his eyes were wet.

"The baby…" she began, her voice fading and diminishing with each word she spoke.

"Is fine, I promise," he calmed her, and she felt relief course through her body.

"I'm so tired, Draco," she mumbled after a moment.

"Sleep, love. I'll be here when you wake," he said assured her, bending down and pressing his lips to her forehead as the darkness claimed her once more.

***

"Is she-"

"No."

"Oh."

Her eyes opened and the room slowly became focused. There were two figures standing by the door, neither of whom had noticed she was awake yet. With difficulty she pushed herself into a sitting position, her muscles weak and sore. She let out an involuntary groan of pain, and the man with his back to her turned sharply and looked at her, his piercing gray eyes lighting up when he saw she was awake.

"Hermione," Draco gasped, reaching her in two long strides. "You're awake."

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked, her voice surprisingly strong.

"You haven't been asleep, so to speak. You went into a coma of sorts," Draco muttered, his eyes darkening and losing the light that had been in them since she had woken. "Harry," he called, and the other man stepped into the room, his face flooding with colour and relief when he saw Hermione's state.

"Coma? What…what happened to me?" Hermione asked, confusion filling her. Draco and Harry looked at one another, apparently debating whether or not to tell her. "Somebody just come out with it! I'm pretty damn sure I deserve to know," Hermione snapped, sitting up straighter until Draco carefully put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back into the pillows.

"You were poisoned. Someone was trying to hurt you and our baby. They sent you roses which had been laced with poison, so when you pricked your finger on the thorn, the poison was injected into you. It was designed to kill you," Draco explained, his voice cracking on the last word and he released her hand and buried his face in his own hands, moving to sit down in a chair in the corner as his body shook with silent tears.

"How am I alive, then?" Hermione asked, looking at Harry.

"Ginny saved you. She arrived early with James, and when you wouldn't answer the door she looked through the front window and saw you falling. She blasted the door open and levitated you to a sofa before you hit the ground and then brought you here. It was lucky she got there early. The Healers said that if you hadn't been found then, you wouldn't have made it," Harry said, jaw clenched.

"Why would anyone be trying to poison _me_?"

Harry paused thoughtfully before answering her. "There are still collections of dark wizards out there, Hermione, and I'm certain that your marriage into one of the last pureblood lines would have angered them. They might have wanted to tidy up the family trees or something along those lines."

Hermione turned away from Harry, revulsion clawing at her as the thought that someone would want to kill someone else because of crap like blood status flooded her mind. Instead she looked at Draco, who was now watching her with a look which combined fear and adoration. He looked tired, and she wondered just how long she had been in the hospital, and she voiced this question.

"Two weeks," Draco croaked, standing up and returning to her side. "I was so worried."

"I would never leave you," she whispered, raising a hand to place on his cheek. He leant into the warmth of her touch, and bent down and kissed her lips sweetly, placing one hand on her stomach. At his touch the baby kicked, and Hermione placed her hand on top of his. "I love you."

"I know," he replied, sitting down on the bed beside her. Hermione moved over slightly, and he kicked off his shoes and lay down beside her.

"Just think, in two more months we're going to have a baby," she mused, and he smiled.

"That's incredible," he murmured as the baby kicked again. "To be honest, I'm completely terrified."

"Aren't you meant to be? No one's ever fully ready for their first baby," she smiled.

"I know, but I think I've reached new levels of fear for a new parent," he joked, pulling her closer and kissing her temple.

"If I fall asleep, will you stay with me?" she asked, turning her head to face him.

"I promise."

And so she slept, and so he stayed.

***

**A/N:** I'm sadly noticing a lull in reviews, so I would like to ask that if you _do_ read this, then please review! They make me happy :DThe song the title is named after is by Bob Dylan, by the way.


	11. First Day Of My Life

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, they all belong to J.K. Rowling.**

***

Following being discharged from the hospital, Draco managed to weasel his way into getting two weeks off work, as long as he was still able to attend meetings with The Revival. He spent this time with Hermione, making sure she was safe and comfortable in her incredibly pregnant state.

It was during one of these days, as they sat in the living room, each absorbed in a different book, that Hermione brought up a topic which probably should have been mentioned earlier in the pregnancy.

"Draco, what names were you thinking of for the baby?" she asked suddenly, reminded as the baby kicked, disturbing her reading.

"Hm?" he remarked, finishing a page before looking up at her. "What was that, love?"

"Names, Draco!" she cried. "For the baby, of course!" she added at his blank look.

"Oh, right. What names do you like?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. For a girl was thinking maybe Amie. It's quite pretty, I think. Or Danielle," she offered, and Draco mulled over the two names for a moment.

"They're nice. I quite like Charlotte for a girl, as well. What about, if it is a boy, which it isn't, Scorpius?" he suggested, and Hermione nodded.

"I like both of those names. Scorpius Malfoy. I don't think any other name would fit as well," she laughed, and he grinned.

"Come over here," he said quietly, and she looked up at him, confused. All the same, she placed her book down and joined him on the sofa. He carefully wrapped and arm around her, pulling her down with him until they were lying down facing each other. "There seems to be something between us," he remarked, and she giggled, placing her hand on her stomach.

"I know, it's a little bit odd."

"Just think, in about one week's time, there's going to be a little baby in the house," Draco murmured, planting feather-light kisses on her face.

"_That_ is just too strange to believe," she conceded, and the baby kicked, surprising Draco who had his hand against her stomach.

"I love you," he whispered, finally pressing his lips against hers, and she eagerly returned the kiss.

"I like Charlotte for a girl," she whispered when they broke apart, grinning as Draco's face broke out into a wide smile.

***

"Draco! Draco!" Hermione was crying out as she stood in the kitchen, hands firmly grasping her stomach as Draco ran into the room, wand withdrawn and face fearful.

"Hermione, what's happening?" he asked anxiously, stowing his wand away as he noticed she was in no immediate danger.

"I think my water just broke," she cried, clutching her stomach again as Draco's face paled of what little colour it had and he took a step back. "Don't you dare walk away from me right now, Draco Abraxas Malfoy!"

"What am I meant to do?" he asked, stumbling back even further.

"Get my fucking bag and get me to the hospital!" Hermione shrieked, and Draco complied instantly, eager to be out of the room. When he returned, Hermione was leaning against the counter, taking deep, even breaths. "I don't think I can apparate myself. I need to go side-along," she instructed, and Draco took her hand and she followed him from the house, outside the anti-apparition wards before disappearing with a loud crack, reappearing just near St. Mungo's.

"Come on, love, let's go," Draco coaxed her along, glad that she seemed to have calmed down. They pushed through the doors of the hospital, and immediately were swarmed upon my different Healers and Medi-Witches, eager to help the high-profile couple. Draco followed behind as Hermione was placed in a wheelchair and moved towards the patient elevators, and the group consisting of three Healers, one Healer-in-training, Hermione and Draco emerged on the fourth floor, where Hermione was then rushed to a private room.

"Draco, go tell Harry and Ginny, George and Angelina and, oh, well, I suppose Ron that the baby's coming," Hermione ordered, squeezing Draco's hand tightly as another contraction sent pain through her. A Healer pushed Draco out of the way, hurrying forward with a flask of what Draco imagined to be a potion for pain-relief. Hermione swallowed the liquid eagerly, then ushered Draco from the room to go and inform their friends.

Hurrying towards an apparition safe-zone within the hospital, Draco popped first to Harry and Ginny's inadvertently landing in the middle of their living room where Ginny was entertaining James and Harry was reading.

"Draco?" Ginny gasped at his sudden arrival as James began to cry at the loud noise. "What is so urgent that you had to apparate directly into our house?"

"Hermione's gone into labour!" Draco exclaimed, and Ginny shrieked quite loudly, startling James again. "She wants you to be there, so I suggest you hurry. Can you tell Ron, as well? I need to go and see George."

After Harry and Ginny agreed to go and make Ron aware of the situation, Draco apparated to The Leaky Cauldron, where he hastily made his way through the brick barrier to Diagon Alley until he found George's shop. As usual, the brightly coloured joke-shop was swarming with people, and Draco had to fight against a flow of teenagers as he searched for George who, upon seeing his friend, came over and shook Draco's hand.

"Draco! What can I do for you today?" George beamed at Draco's arrival.

"What you can do is get Fred and Angelina and come to St. Mungo's. Hermione's gone into labour, and she wants you two there, so I suggest you get a move on." Draco watched as George's face lit up before excusing himself and apparating back to St. Mungo's and rushing towards Hermione's room.

"Draco," she said placidly as he entered, and he realized she must have taken several potions to make to process easier. "Are they coming? The Healers said that the baby is almost here."

"I've gone and told them all, and they'll be here soon," he said, kissing the top of Hermione's head which was clammy. "How long?" he addressed the head Healer.

"Not long at all, Mr. Malfoy. Perhaps two minutes and then we shall start the birthing process," the main Healer said in a squeaky voice before he continued rushing around making sure that everything was going alright. He offered one more potion to Hermione who swallowed it quickly, wincing at the burning sensation it caused as it went down her throat, and then she gasped loudly. "Excellent, everything is going well. Mr. Malfoy, could you please help your wife sit up, and then we need to begin," the little man ordered, and Draco obliged quickly.

"Hermione, love, come on. You need to sit up for me, okay?" he murmured right beside her ear, and she nodded, grasping his hand firmly as he helped her into the sitting position as instructed by the doctor.

"Excellent, Mrs. Malfoy. Now, I need you to push for me," the Healer said, and Hermione pushed, her face clenched into one of determination. This was repeated four more times, at which point Hermione fell back onto the pillows, shaking her head.

"I can't, I can't," she mumbled, eyes closing.

"Come on, sweetheart. You're almost there. Just one more push, and then we'll have a little baby," Draco said quietly, taking her hand and planting a kiss. Hermione turned her head to look at him, eyes half-closed, but nodded. "Alright, love. Push."

Hermione followed Draco's instructions, and then:

"Congratulations, it's a girl," the Healer said as a baby's cry rang out in the room, and Hermione collapsed back onto the pillows, sweaty and tired but still beaming.

"You did it, love," Draco murmured, kissing Hermione's head once more causing her to smile up at him wearily. The Healer handed Draco his daughter, who was now wrapped in a soft pink blanket.

"What name would you like to be put down on the certificate?" a Medi-Witch asked, bustling over with a quill and piece of parchment.

"Charlotte Narcissa Malfoy," Hermione said, eyes now on her daughter. The Medi-Witch nodded once and scribbled the name down before hurrying from the room. Draco cradled the baby cautiously, his eyes raking over and absorbing every aspect and detail of her. "Let me see her," Hermione murmured, sitting up straight. A Healer had delivered a potion to give her strength back, and she was now alert.

Draco carefully handed the tiny bundle over to Hermione, whose face immediately softened as she looked at her daughter for the first time. Charlotte looked up through half-closed silver eyes which so mirrored Draco's, a tiny crop of white-blonde hair atop her head. It seemed that the child was a female mirror of Draco when he was a baby.

"She's going to be beautiful," Draco whispered, sitting on the bed beside Hermione who merely nodded at his words but remained silent. Concerned with how she was acting, Draco put his finger under her chin, tiling her head to look at him. "What's wrong, love?" he questioned, shocked to see her eyes glazed over with tears.

"I just can't believe this. It's all so surreal. I never thought I'd be married with a child before I was twenty-five," she said, letting out a watery laugh as the door to the private room opened, revealing Harry and Ginny standing there, the ninth month old James sitting in Harry's arms.

"Hermione!" Ginny cried out happily, rushing over to her friend.

"Congratulations, mate," Harry grinned, shaking Draco's hand. "A girl, I take it?" he asked, nodding towards the pink bundle which Ginny was now cooing over.

"Yep. Meet Charlotte Narcissa," Draco introduced the adults, and Ginny smiled.

"That's a beautiful name," the red-head beamed, kissing Hermione's cheek before moving away and taking James from Harry, allowing the latter to get a closer look at Charlotte.

"Wow, she looks exactly like Draco," he remarked as Charlotte looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Let's hope she gets her mother's brains then," Draco laughed, and the others joined in.

After a few more moments of gushing over the newborn, Harry and Ginny left to make from for George and Angelina, who were waiting patiently outside, not wanting to overcrowd the room. Angelina immediately made a beeline for Hermione, who was still holding Charlotte, whereas George headed to Draco's side. The two watched in silence for a few moments as the women chatted happily about the baby.

"You're going to be beating the guys off with sticks when that one grows up," George remarked, eyeing Charlotte over his wife's shoulder.

"Oh, I'm not letting any boys near her until she's about twenty," Draco smirked, and George chuckled.

"Good plan. But really, congratulations, man," George grinned, punching Draco's arm playfully.

"Thanks a lot. Hey, any tips on how to not go insane?" he asked, and George shook his head laughing. After a few more minutes the couple left, and Hermione and Draco were left alone with their daughter once more.

***

**A/N:** Okay, so I know this was another shorter-than-normal chapter! Please don't kill me! This fanfic is harder to write than I thought it would be, and it seems to be drawing to a close faster than I had originally planned D: Anyway, please review. The song is "First Day Of My Life," by Bright Eyes.


	12. Plans

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot.**

***

Hermione sighed, frowning at the seemingly endless pieces of paper which covered every inch of the table before her. She had been going over finances, and her head was throbbing from reading so many numbers. Charlotte was asleep, Draco was at work, and in retrospect it was the perfect environment for Hermione to concentrate, but nothing seemed to be working out.

She was trying to figure out whether or not she could quit her job to look after Charlotte full-time. Of course, that was not an ideal situation for Hermione, but if it needed to be done, then so be it. Her and Draco still weren't entirely sure whether or not they wanted some hired help to look after the baby, but he had left the final decision up to her, knowing all too well that there was no way he could leave his job.

Lifting another piece of paper covered in calculations, Hermione let out a groan. The thought of not working was terrible in her eyes. She needed something to occupy her, something to stimulate her mind, and staying home looking after the baby all day definitely wasn't top on her priorities. With her mind trying to process the numbers, Hermione let out another sigh, this time one of defeat, and pushed away from the table, standing up quickly.

Her eyes glanced at the clock and she smiled to herself. Draco was meant to be home in a few minutes. He had been coming home earlier ever since Charlotte had been born and Hermione was enjoying spending more time with him, even if it was just curled up on the couch together talking. She heard the tick of the clock as it struck seven o'clock, and precisely on time there was a crack outside and the front door opened, revealing a rather tired looking Draco.

"Hey," she said quietly in greeting as his arms pulled her to him, his lips finding hers.

"What's all of this?" he asked, eyeing the messy table.

"Just stuff about money," she said, waving her wand so the papers flew back into the bookshelf.

"Have you decided anything yet?" he shot at her over his shoulder as he put his briefcase down before taking her hand and pulling her to the sofa.

"There's just so much to think about!" she cried exasperatedly. "I mean, I don't want to be one of those mothers who never sees their child, but I can't not work. I need something stimulating, and to be honest looking after Charlotte won't do that for me. But then I think, with the baby the house is going to become a mess, so maybe I _should_ quit work because there'd be more for me to do here, but I loathe cleaning, even with magic." She finished with a dramatic sigh and an unintentional pout which made Draco grin.

"I see what you're saying. If you want my opinion, then I think we should get someone in. You were never going to be the girl that gave up her dreams for a family. You need your work, and I need what's best for you. If money _is_ an issue, then there is something that I have been considering," Draco prompted, and Hermione's eyes narrowed slightly.

"And what would that something be?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "When I inherited the manor after my mother passed on, we were, at the time, in the possession of four house elves. As I had no need for them, I sent them to Hogwarts to wait for a time when their presence may be necessary. There was a particular house elf who helped raise me when I was a child, and she would be more than happy to help with Charlotte as well, I imagine," he explained.

"Draco," she began, "you _know_ how I feel about house elves. It just isn't fair on them!"

"I know, love, but they don't mind working. They love it. It's just what they do," he reasoned, ignoring her frown and sounds of protest at his words. "How about we just try for a little while with a house elf? If you think it isn't working out, then we can send them back to the kitchens at Hogwarts. The other options are we pay for help or you quit your job."

Hermione frowned again and opened her mouth to retort, but came up with nothing. She had to admit, it was a good idea. She couldn't see herself not working, and she knew that some more help around the house wouldn't be a bad thing.

"I suppose. But if I say the house elf has to go, then they go, okay?" she clarified, and Draco nodded.

"Tully!" he announced, and there was a crack as a small figure appeared, dressed with a sheet wrapped around her body like a toga. The house elf, Tully, turned and looked up at Draco, and Hermione watched the creature carefully. She looked similar to Dobby, the main difference being large blue eyes taking over the majority of her face instead.

"Master called?" the elf asked, bowing low.

"There will be no need for you to bow," Hermione said kindly and the elf straightened up immediately.

"Tully, this is my wife, Hermione," Draco smiled, and Tully's already wide eyes widened even further.

"Master got married? That is good news! Is Miss Hermione Tully's new mistress?" the elf questioned, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"Yes, yes she is," Draco said before Hermione could even open her mouth to answer. "Now, Tully, Hermione had a baby two months ago. Her name is Charlotte. Hermione needs to go back to work in a few days, and when she does, we need you to stay behind and look after her and the house, okay? When Hermione or myself are home, you can go back to Hogwarts, and we will look after Charlotte. Do you understand?"

Tully nodded her head once. "Does Master need Tully to look after baby Charlotte now, or shall Tully go back to Hogwarts?"

"You can go back to Hogwarts now, and when we need you we will call," Draco dismissed the elf, who disappeared with a loud crack just as Hermione heard Charlotte cry from her room. Hermione swept from the room, returning a minute later with Charlotte in her arms, now silent and observant, reaching out to Draco as they approached him.

Kissing the soft blonde locks atop the baby's head, Hermione gave Charlotte to Draco who accepted the child with open arms and a broad smile.

"She's always so happy to see you," Hermione said, and Draco couldn't help but notice the twinge of annoyance in her voice.

"It's just because she never gets to see me most of the time and you're home all the time. Isn't that right, Lottie?" he cooed to Charlotte, and the sight made Hermione giggle. "What?"

"Draco Malfoy, melting in the eyes of a baby," she sniggered, and Draco rolled his eyes. "It's just cute."

Draco sniffed, and then made a face. "Me melting may be cute, but _that_ is definitely not cute," he scrunched up his nose, and Hermione followed suit as Draco made to stand up with the baby who seemed totally oblivious to the smell coming from her diaper as she gurgled happily.

Laughing at Draco's expression, Hermione reached forward and took Charlotte from him, and he visibly relaxed at the absence of the smelly baby. Turning on her heel, Hermione marched towards Charlotte's nursery, cooing at the baby the entire time until she got to the changing table. Reaching for the baby powder, Hermione heard a new voice coming from the living room, and she frowned. She hadn't heard anyone enter. Tempted to put the baby in her crib and go and investigate herself, she heard Draco respond wearily and then him approach the nursery.

"Something's come up with work, so I've got to go. I'll be back in a few hours," he said regretfully.

"Do you _have_ to go?"

"I'm sorry, love, I don't have a choice. I'll see you in a little while," he kissed Hermione's cheek softly before turning from the room and leaving the house, walking into the crisp air of early autumn. Making sure that there were no muggles around, he turned on the spot and disapparated with a loud crack, reappearing in front of the wrought iron gates that opened to reveal the path leading towards Malfoy Manor. Without a moment's hesitation he walked straight through the gates which rippled like smoke around him, striding up the drive quickly.

"Ah, Draco. I'm glad you got my message," welcomed Nott once he had stepped into the light of the manor, and Draco addressed him with a sharp nod. "Please, take a seat," he added, indicating the large armchair to his direct right, the one on his left occupied by Rose who eyed Draco apprehensively. He quirked a brow in her direction but she looked away hastily at his attention, and he frowned as he sat.

"Now that we have all gathered," Nott began, and silence flooded the room at his voice, "I am able to inform you of the plans that have been organized by myself and my dear Rose." Draco stifled a gasp at this, turning it into a loud cough. No one at the Ministry knew that Rose had been planning with Nott. "Thanks to some work done by Goyle and Rose, we have obtained some top secret information from the heart of the Ministry itself, including a way in which the premises can be entered without knowledge of anyone working there. Using this, we will send some of our best members in to gather more information, and get some officials under our control."

A murmur of approval went through the group.

"When?"

"Soon, Avery, soon. In two weeks time we will gather again, and that will be the night before we shall strike. Until then, stay out of trouble. We do not need to lose members before our first course of action," Nott warned, and everyone nodded before moving away to disapparate back to their homes.

***

**A/N: I'm awful, I know. These last few chapters have been too short and too infrequent for my own liking as well. I wanted to get this one out before Christmas though, so here it is. Now, I'm predicting that there will only be 3 more chapters of this story, and the action should all begin in the next chapter, which will hopefully be up a few days after Christmas, if I don't get ridiculously sidetracked with my presents (the Half-Blood Prince on DVD and the PC game as well). Please review, and I hope you enjoyed the terrible-ness that was this chapter :P. The song is "Plans," by Bloc Party.**


	13. Samson

**Disclaimer: These characters are the property of J.K. Rowling, minus a few OC's of my own.**

**A/N: Not much to say. Just…don't hate me or anything, okay? And please review.**

***

And so the routine returned.

It was almost as if Charlotte had never been born. Hermione's routine was strikingly similar to how she had conducted her day to day activities before her daughter's birth, with a few distinct differences. Her wand would blare out a sound similar to an air raid siren, and she would groan and mutter a few words to turn it off. At that point she would reach out into the empty bed, trying to find Draco before she remembered that he was working and that she in fact should be getting ready for work.

She would roll out of bed, have a hasty shower and change into her robes before heading to Charlotte's room where the little blonde baby gurgled happily up at her.

"Hello, baby," she cooed, picking up the child who let out a little gurgle. "How is my little angel?"

Hermione carried the baby out to the living room and waved her wand about simply, the food for her breakfast landing on the table neatly.

"Tully!" she called sharply, and with a loud _crack_ the house elf appeared.

"Yes, Miss Hermione?" the creature simpered.

"Could you please feed Charlotte? Once I finish my breakfast I need to go to work. Is that alright?" she asked, her tone soft.

"Of course, miss. Tully will feed Miss Charlotte right away," the elf said, hurrying off to pick up the baby who let out a sound of delight at the house elf's appearance.

Skimming her brown eyes over The Daily Prophet, Hermione ate her toast and drunk her tea whilst Tully moved around silently with Charlotte. Once the cup was drained she stood up and kissed Charlotte's head softly before apparating to the hospital, and that was how life had carried on for the last two weeks.

It was a quiet autumn afternoon and the weather was dropping steadily outside. Hermione cast a glance out the window of her current patient's room, her eyes following as a single amber leaf fell from a tree and drifted to the ground. With a regretful sigh she turned back to the patient, noting down their condition and what potions needed to be given by one of the lesser Healers.

As she finished checking over the patient, she heard a quiet chime, telling her that she could return home. Smiling, Hermione headed back to her office, shrugged on her coat and left St. Mungo's waving at a few people she passed before exiting the building onto the quiet London street. Shivering as the first wave of cool air hit her, she tightened her coat and walked quickly towards the apparition safe-zone, eager to get home where Draco would be waiting with Charlotte. He had sent her an owl on her lunch break, telling her that he would be home early and be waiting for her return.

Smiling at the prospect of returning to the little house she loved so much, Hermione turned on the spot in the deserted alleyway, disappearing with a loud crack and reappearing outside the house. A soft cloud of smoke was drifting from the chimney, and as she walked up the stone path she could hear music playing, mixed with Draco's voice and squeals of delight from Charlotte. Unlocking the door, she let the warmth of the flames which crackled merrily in the fireplace wrap around her, taking in the sight before her.

From the record player in the corner 'Here Comes the Sun,' by The Beatles was playing softly, and she smiled softly at the familiar and favourite song. The music was backed up with sounds of the fire crackling in the grate, casting the room in a soft orange glow. Draco was standing near the fire, grinning broadly with a giggling Charlotte in his arms, dancing around the room with her and stopping to tickle her stomach every now and then, eliciting her high-pitched tinkling laugh.

Watching the scene as happiness and contentment flooded through her, Hermione slowly and quietly walked up to the two most important people in her life. Draco beamed at her, planting a soft kiss on her lips as Charlotte reached out for her mother. Allowing Draco to still keep his hold on Charlotte, Hermione took one of her daughter's pale hands in one of her own before wrapping her arm around Draco's waist, the three of them swaying gently as the song faded.

As the last notes slowly died away, Charlotte's mouth formed a large O and her eyelids began to droop, her head that was covered in a crop of white-blonde curls leaning on Draco's shoulder. With another kiss to Hermione's lips, Draco disentangled himself from his wife to go and put Charlotte down in her nursery. Hermione watched his back until it disappeared into Charlotte's room before moving to turn the music off and put another log in the fire. Her eyes were drawn to the dancing flames in the grate, so much so that she didn't hear or see Draco return until his arms were wrapped around her waist, pulling her body flush against his.

"How was your day, love?" he murmured, kissing her neck softly.

"Busy and long. How was yours?" she asked quietly, tilting her head slightly.

"Boring until I came home, and it's much better now that you're here."

They stood in that position in silence for a while longer, just enjoying each other's silent company as the flames flickered and danced before them.

Draco was absorbed in thoughts as he remembered the meeting the previous night, his stomach clenching and unclenching in nervousness as the scene replayed in his mind.

"_The time has come!" Nott announced loudly, silencing the crowd that gathered in the drawing room of Malfoy Manor. "Tomorrow night, we will act, and when we do, we shall put in phase something that should have been put in motion long ago. Tomorrow night we will be one step closer to reclaiming what is rightfully ours. Tomorrow night, it will all begin."_

_The group cheered loudly, and for once Nott allowed the noise to die down gradually without his abrupt commands._

"_Tomorrow evening, at seven o'clock, it will start. We will first send a wave of people through, making sure the area we wish to pay a visit to is deserted, and they will eliminate anyone who is in our way. Once I am alerted that we will be safe, the rest will continue. I am sure that we will end up fighting against those in the Ministry who are willing and ready to fight, and we will incur some losses, but in the end, we will get what we need. Most of you have already received information on when and where you must be for this to be a successful operation. However, I wish to speak to Draco, Rose and Gregory in a moment after I have dismissed the rest of you. Are there any questions?" Nott finished, his tone reminding Draco of the professors at Hogwarts. When it was assured that no one had any questions, the group who had multiplied in size since Draco had joined filed out of the manor, leaving just Rose, Goyle, Nott and himself sitting around._

_Draco watched as Nott stared at the back wall, his face hard as the shadow of the flames that flickered in the fireplace danced across his face._

"_We are the strongest fighters our side have," he said after a few minutes had past in silence. "I am relying on all of us to be at the front line of retrieving the information. You three are the most important in this group, and we cannot afford to lose any of you. Tomorrow night, we will be the last to go in. We will be the least likely to be attacked because all potential attackers will be dead, but I must tell you to keep a good eye out. If all goes to plan, we all must be here to continue our work." With that he waved them away, and Draco immediately told the plans to Harry._

Draco's eyes flickered towards the clock that was ticking ever so slowly towards seven o'clock. He felt like being sick. Harry had promised him that aurors would be waiting, but he was still so nervous. Harry had no idea what some members were capable of.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, breaking the silence that had consumed the room.

"I have to go soon. I have to be at the Ministry at seven," was all he said.

"You're tense and you're worried, and I don't care if your work says you can't tell me. I need to know these things, Draco," she said quietly, but her voice was firm. He turned her around to face him, delicately holding her face in his hands.

"Hermione," he breathed, drinking in her face. "What I'm doing tonight is dangerous, but it needs to be done. I need you to know that I love you with all my heart. I need you to know that you are the most important thing in my life, and you always have been. Words can't describe what I feel. I…I just need you to know this."

"Draco," she said, her voice sounding like it was about to crack, "tell me what's going on."

"I have to go. I love you more than you will ever know, and I love Charlotte so much," he shut his eyes and pressed his lips to hers, savouring the warmth and feeling that remained with him after the kiss broke a minute later. He pulled on his coat and planted another chaste kiss on her lips. "I'll be back in a few hours."

As soon as the door to the house shut behind him, he was aware of just how cold it was outside, or perhaps that was the trickle of fear that was sliding down his spine. He shivered and drew his coat tighter around his body, drawing out his wand for apparition. The sickening method of travel felt all the worse in his situation, but he appeared near the Ministry of Magic with a loud pop, pushing all thoughts of illness from his mind as he approached Nott who was standing with Rose and Goyle. They all nodded to each other, each one too nervous to speak.

And then it began.

Seven o'clock came with a force. The group of four had been standing in the empty foyer of the Ministry of Magic, and then as soon as the clock tolled, the fireplaces along the large foyer all blazed green as every member of The Revival arrived, all dressed in black cloaks. They formed a large triangular mass, Draco, Nott, Rose and Goyle forming a separate group a little way behind them. Moving in sync, they continued onto the Department of Mysteries, directly towards Draco's office where Nott slipped in, returning a few minutes later with the files Draco had directed him to.

'Where the hell is Potter?' Draco thought angrily as Nott began to lead the way down deeper into the Department of Mysteries where all the places that Draco avoided lay. Nott found the one door that Draco had wished he didn't know existed; the door that led to the Death Chamber.

"Wh-what are we doing here, Theo?" Rose asked in a shaky voice as they entered the stone hall, the whispers capturing Draco's attention at once.

"This Veil is old magic. Very powerful magic. It's a pathway to the other side. There are rumours that if one tries correctly, you can bring back someone through the Veil," Nott said quietly, stepping towards the stone frame with his hand outstretched. Draco looked around, his eyes resting on Rose for a moment who looked utterly terrified, before moving along to Goyle who looked incredibly confused.

Then, all of a sudden, there were several loud pops and flashes of light.

All hell had broken loose.

The aurors had arrived, and were not taking mercy. The room flashed with red as people were stunned and cursed everywhere. Draco saw Nott grab Rose's hand and make a move to leave, only to be stopped by Harry and Ron. The sounds of cries and metallic clashes as spells bounced off shields was deafening, and Draco wanted nothing more than to leave and go back to Hermione and Charlotte, but he needed to fight.

Taking a deep breath he began to run, shooting curses and hexes at the backs of several members of The Revival as he went by, the people fighting surprising him. It looked like the entire Order of the Phoenix was fighting – he saw George, Kingsley, Harry, Ron, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Bill, Fleur, Molly, Arthur, and countless others. And then he saw her.

Hermione was engaged in a fierce battle dance with one of the large members of The Revival, her face one of utter seriousness as her dodged and weaved each curse that was sent at her. Seeing him out of the corner of her eye she grinned and winked, shooting a harmless spell at the man she was duelling with. As anticipated, the cloaked figure shielded the charm away, allowing Hermione the split-second opportunity she needed to send a very powerful stunning spell at his chest, causing the man to keel over.

She saw Draco running over to her, and he quickly scooped her into his arms, kissing her face, her neck, her hair, her lips. Then as a cry echoed throughout the stone room, the situation crashed down on them again. He placed her on the ground, kissing her head softly once more and issuing a whispered "I love you" before they turned back to the fight.

Ron had been knocked unconscious by Rose, who had clearly changed sides and was now duelling with an unidentifiable auror. Harry was holding his own against Nott, wand slashing violently at the air to repel curses and deliver his own. As Draco watched, Rose sent a flash of green light towards the auror who crumpled to the ground. Hermione stood behind him, already duelling with someone else, completely focused on what she had to do.

Everything seemed to happen in a rush, though she scarcely saw it from the corner of her eye.

A burst of green light was being sent towards her, and there was a metallic clang as a shield that she did not create repelled it. In another second she had defeated the person she was duelling with, and as she turned she saw Gregory Goyle send the Killing Curse towards her saviour, towards Draco. She couldn't act.

Draco didn't see it coming.

The curse hit him full force, his face a mask of surprise as he fell backwards, landing on the cold stone floor with his lifeless grey eyes staring up at her.


	14. Near To You

It wasn't real.

It couldn't be real.

Everything had slowed down, and why was it so silent?

There was something clawing at her insides, gripping onto her heart and her lungs with an iron-clad hold, and she stumbled, falling to her knees beside Draco's body.

"GET HER OUT OF HERE!" somebody – was it Harry? – bellowed, and in a moment two pairs of strong arms had wrapped around her, restraining her from fighting their grip and she was sucked into the dark oblivion of apparition.

"No! Let me go!" she shrieked in desperation as the fresh sea air engulfed them, and Hermione fell to the ground, sobbing and shaking violently.

"Bill, get some blankets. I'll carry her inside," said a familiar voice, and she felt herself be lifted off the ground. Her head lolled onto the man's shoulder as she continued to shake. She was placed on a soft couch in a warm room and through her blurred eyes she could make out the vague features of Bill and George and the décor of Shell Cottage. Bill threw a blanket at George who caught it and quickly wrapped it around Hermione who was still shivering. "Get her some tea or something, man," George added, and Bill left the room quickly as his brother sat down beside Hermione, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her fragile body against his.

"Angelina has the kids, doesn't she?" Bill asked once he had returned with a tray laden with a large teapot and three teacups. He placed the tray on the coffee table and turned to the liquor cabinet, pulling out a bottle of firewhisky and adding a generous amount to the pot.

"Yeah, Fleur dropped Victoire off at our house just before I left, and Hermione had already dropped Charlotte off," George confirmed, handing a cup of tea to Hermione who drank deeply, her shakes subsiding. The firewhisky seemed to go straight to her head. Her eyelids drooped slowly, her head falling onto George's shoulder, and then sleep claimed her.

***

"It's done. Nott, Rose and Goyle are dead. The rest are awaiting trial, but they'll all go to Azkaban."

"Where's the-?"

"At St. Mungo's. I didn't think Fleur and Bill would appreciate having a body lying around whilst Victoire was about."

"Oh."

"Where's Hermione?"

"Asleep, first door to the left."

"Thanks."

The conversation drifted through the cracks in the door, stirring Hermione from her slumber. The door cracked open slightly, then Harry stepped in looking exhausted.

"You're awake," he noted out and she nodded as he sat in the chair beside her bed.

"You promised me he wouldn't be hurt," she choked out, feeling another wave of tears creep up on her as she watched him.

"I am so sorry. I don't know how you're feeling, and I'm not going to pretend I do. This was never meant to happen. I'm sorry," Harry said, his voice cracking on the last word as his green eyes sparkled with tears. He lifted a hand to brush them away and coughed loudly.

"How am I meant to go on without him, Harry? He was everything," she sobbed, gripping the pillow tightly.

He was silent for a moment, eyes closed as he tried to stop the tears. "You have Charlotte. She needs you, Hermione," he finally said quietly. "I have to go and see Ginny."

With that he was gone, allowing Hermione the peace and silence that she was dreading. She sobbed loudly, not caring who heard her, until she slept.

***

She dressed slowly, carefully. First the black stockings. Then the black dress, followed by a dark Slytherin green jacket. Next she clipped a pair of silver earrings adorned with emeralds and rubies on. She put the wedding ring on, a slender platinum band of rubies and emeralds, and did the clasp of the necklace he had given her on their first Christmas together. She slipped her feet into a pair of black heels and examined herself in the mirror quickly.

Finally she put on a small black hat, one with a delicate veil of netting that obscured the upper part of her face and left the silent bedroom, her heels clipping on the hardwood floors noisily as she bent to pick up Charlotte as the house elf waited silently by the door. Charlotte was dressed in all black, just like her mother. The dress was crisp satin, and she had dark tights on beneath it.

"Is Miss ready to depart?" the elf squeaked, and Hermione nodded once, her face expressionless and unreadable.

"We will be back some time this afternoon. Please keep a fire going for when we come home. I don't want Charlotte getting sick," Hermione said sternly, picking up a dark green clutch that was the same colour as her jacket before stepping from the house. "Hold on tight, Charlotte."

She sucked them both into apparition, appearing with a loud pop and a crying baby at the same cemetery where Narcissa Malfoy had been buried. Hermione shushed Charlotte quietly, not wishing to draw attention to herself as the funeral goers gathered. Finally Charlotte lapsed into silence, and Hermione began to walk up the slope to where the funeral would be held.

As she arrived, heads turned, but she did not return any of their gazes. Murmurs broke out in ripples through the already seated guests, but she remained stony-faced. A few people reached out and patted her arm or her back, but she would not acknowledge them. She continued down the path until she reached the front row of seats, the seats that would filled with _his_ closest friends and family. She took her seat, the one right at the front, and put Charlotte on her lap. The baby knew not to make a fuss. She just sat there, staring around absently.

"Hermione," someone murmured, and she inclined her head slightly to see Harry taking the seat beside her, dressed in a full black suit. He took her hand and squeezed it softly, sadly. She made no move to respond, but blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay. Harry did not release her hand, but he let out a sigh at her lack of response to him.

The seats around them slowly filled. George and Angelina sat across the aisle, George closest to Hermione. He reached across the gap and squeezed her hand, like Harry did, but did not speak. He leaned back into his seat as a man dressed in deep purple robes stepped up to the small podium at the front. He shuffled his notes, and began to speak about why they were gathered.

"Draco Malfoy was a kind, loving man." _No he wasn't_, Hermione thought. _He was a bastard_. "His life was full of achievements and good." _He was a Death Eater, he wasn't good._ "Draco made friends wherever he went, and people often talk about his open, friendly nature." _Friends? He hardly knew the meaning of the word. _"For a man with such an untainted past as his, it is a crime for him to have died so young." _Untainted my ass. He had more marks against his name than anyone_. "And now, Draco's friend Harry Potter would like to say a few words."

At the mention of Harry, a few mutters rippled through the crowds. Hermione sat up straight, knowing that Harry's words would be that of truth, not what some stranger thought _his_ friends would want to hear. He got up to the front, replacing the man with the plum robes, and pulled a sheet of folded up paper from his breast pocket, placing it down in front of him.

"Thirteen years ago, two people who could not be more different from each other, started their schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Harry began. "One of those people automatically became my sworn enemy, the other my best friend. Soon enough, my sworn enemy became enemies with my best friend, and the rivalry continued throughout almost our entire duration at school. Of course, I am talking of Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger.

"The two warred with words, and on one particularly memorable occasion, Hermione's fist. They could not pass each other in the halls without a snide remark from one of the two, and they were constantly trying to outdo each other in classes, the victor always being Hermione. Their hostility towards each other never waned, no matter what the circumstance. After a few years, the horror of the Second Wizarding War began, and people's true colours were revealed.

"In the final battle of the war, I was with Hermione and our friend Ron when we were leaving a room at Hogwarts. The room was ablaze, and Draco was still inside. Hermione screamed at me to go back and get him, go back and save his life, and so I did. That was the first, but not the last time, we saved his life that night. His mother, Narcissa Malfoy, then went on to save my life that night.

"The next year we all returned to Hogwarts, eager to resume where our schooling had left off, or not so eager in some cases. It was this year that everything seemed to have changed. No longer were the petty rivalries between houses held by most. The walls were down. Old grudges were forgotten, prejudices discarded. That was also the year that Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy fell in love.

"To say their relationship unexpected would be a rather large understatement. These were two people who loathed each other, and yet they found happiness within one another. They lay their pasts and their history with each other behind them in favour of pursuing love. As time progressed, their feelings for each other never faded, no matter how much scrutiny their relationship went through. They were the perfect couple. But, as with anything perfect, something tore them apart.

"War. Draco was a spy for us, our eye into the workings of an underground group of Dark wizards, hell-bent on destroying the peace that we had made and the lives that we lead. He put himself in a position that no person with a wife and child should have to put himself in, but he had become selfless over the years, and he knew that he must work for the greater good.

"A few months ago, I promised Hermione that he would not be hurt. She had come to me, terrified at the prospect that Draco could be lost, and I told her that he would not be hurt. I truly believed that he would not come to any harm, but I was wrong. War is such a terrible thing. It tears us apart, breaks up families, and destroys any semblance of hope.

"But without war, there would be no peace. And that was what Draco Malfoy was fighting for. He was putting his life on the line so we could have ours, and for that reason I'm proud to have called him my friend. Goodbye Draco, friend, husband, father."

Harry stepped from the podium, tears now flowing freely down his face and resumed his seat. Hermione could not see anything. Her eyes were blurred from the salty liquid, tear tracks evident all over her face as her makeup ran. Her eyes were focused on the white coffin before her, a photo of Draco atop it with a single rose lain in front. She let out the first sound she had made the entire ceremony, a heart wrenching sob, as the Draco in the photograph turned towards her, looking concerned at her state.

The man in the plum robes announced that people could say their final goodbyes to Draco, and no one moved until George stood, picking up Charlotte from Hermione and helping the woman to the coffin. She lay her hand down softly on the wood, letting her tears splash down onto the surface of it. The photograph faced her, smiling sadly up at her, but she could not see anything other than a blur of colours.

"I miss you," she managed to choke out before the pain got too much to bear and she stumbled into someone's arms. The person, a man she assumed by the strong arms, held her tightly, not speaking, but just rubbing his hand on her back in a smooth circle as she wept endlessly.

***

She wrapped her arms around her body, trying to block out the cold air as she watched the waves crash dramatically against the rugged cliffs. The creak of the door opening met her ears, and she knew who it was without looking.

"Does it ever stop hurting?" she asked quietly as George sat beside her, the pain evident in her voice.

"Did you know that it's been six years years, seven months and fifteen days since Fred died?" he said, and she shook her head. "All that time has passed, and yet I still miss him every minute of every day. People will tell you to let go and to move on. Don't let go of him, Hermione. Don't forget and don't let go until you're ready. Don't lose him."

"I don't ever want to let go," she replied, and he shrugged.

"Do whatever you want, and don't let anyone tell you different. That's my motto, anyway. That and being serious is overrated."

***

"Congratulations, you two!" Hermione cried happily, embracing Angelina and kissing George's cheek after the announcement of Angelina's pregnancy. "That's fantastic news!"

They both beamed at her and she smiled back broadly, truly happy for the couple. The small room was cramped, so she slipped out the back door to give other people a chance to congratulate the happy couple and for a breath of fresh air. She had grown to hate being cramped and being in crowded rooms.

She breathed in the fresh air, smiling as she looked up at the stars. Her heart still ached for Draco, but she could go a week without crying now, no matter how much she missed him each day. She would pass the time with Charlotte, Harry, Ginny or George. Charlotte was toddling around now, and had learned to say a few basic words. She looked so much like him.

"'Mione!" she heard someone, Ron, she guessed by the use of the nickname she loathed, yelled and heavy footfalls approached. "Hey, 'Mione! We haven't talked in ages," the redhead said, grinning as he hugged her.

"No, we haven't. How many times have I asked you not to call me that, again?" she asked slyly, and he laughed.

"Only about a hundred. How are you?"

"I'm…better. Coping. It's still hard, but I'm starting to deal with it," she smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Broke up with Susan a couple of months back, just after…I was wondering, do you want to go out some time?" he blurted, and she was taken aback.

"What?" she asked, her tone inadvertently harsher than she had wished.

"Well, you've been moping after Draco for ages, 'Mione. It's time to move on, and I thought we could try again. Try _us_ again."

"_Moping_?" she repeated shrilly. "He was my fucking husband, Ronald, so excuse me if I'm mourning!"

"He's dead, 'Mione, and he's not coming back!" Ron snapped.

Before she knew what she was doing, Hermione's fist had made contact with Ron's nose. "Don't you fucking dare, Ronald Weasley! I'm not a goddamn idiot, I know he's not coming back. But don't fucking try and tell me to move on. And there will _never_ be an 'us', okay?" she yelled, breathing heavily.

Footsteps approached as Ron stumbled backwards from her, one hand on his bleeding nose.

"What's going on here?" Harry asked, shocked at the scene before him.

"Nothing. Where's Charlotte? I'm going home. I'll call you later, Harry," Hermione said quickly, walking away from the group, embarrassed, but feeling freer and more empowered than she ever had since Draco's death.

***

**A/N: Hey! I didn't want to leave you all waiting after what happened last chapter, so I've worked all day on this one. There will be an epilogue to come after this, and then Unforgettable Season will be over, as will this mini-series of Dramione stories. Please review!**


	15. A Song To Pass The Time

_Mum-_

_How are you? Like I promised, I'm writing in the first week of the new term. I probably would have written sooner, but with it being seventh year and all, the professors are piling on the work. In the first day I got two foot long essays, one from Slughorn and one from Flitwick. I've finished them and everything of course, but I really hope they don't give us too much work._

_When I first got my badge in the mail, you immediately gushed (not that you ever gush, so it was probably just an exuberant discussion) about the dormitory. It's far more amazing than I ever imagined. Of course, instead of having the gold and scarlet combination you had, I've got the green and sliver which I love. James, on the other hand, has the gold and scarlet room. If you can believe it, I think I've got dad's old room. _

_On the first night that we arrived this term I went to my room and was going to bed when I stubbed my toe on something. When I looked back, there was no furniture or anything that I could have possibly stubbed my toe on, so I immediately thought there must be a concealment charm on whatever I had tripped on. I lifted the charm, of course, and there was a little pried up block of stone. I moved it out of the way and found a little dark green book inside with a snake on the front cover._

_Curious, as I can imagine anyone would be, I flicked to the front page and found that the diary was the property of Draco Malfoy. Can you believe it? There was a picture of him from when he was my age, and it's startling how alike we look. Of course, his hair was shorter and didn't have the slight curl that your hair gave me, but we have the same face shape, eye shape, skin colour, hair colour, everything! I know that people always say we look alike (I think Fred's description was the best one: "Basically, you look exactly like him. Oh, except you have boobs". How eloquent of him, don't you think?) but I had never seen a photograph of what he looked like at my age other than the one that's on the mantelpiece at home. In that picture he seems a bit more preoccupied with someone though. Have I ever told you how wonderful you look in that picture? Anyway, the book was a diary of his seventh (though I suppose it would be considered his eighth due to the war. We're learning about that in History of Magic at the moment) year here and he talks about everything. How he felt at the end of the war, the new school year, how isolated and alone he felt, and then, of course, you. _

_I finished reading it last night (consider it my bed time reading. I need some new books, by the way.) and, well, he loved you so much, mum. Even back then, when you guys were still young, you were everything to him. In the last entry he said that he would bury it beneath the stone floor and conceal it, saying that it would only be found by someone whom he knew he could trust with his secrets. I suppose he never expected that I would become Head Girl, or that I would even exist, but it happened, and I know it all now. I know how much he adored you and how far he would go to protect you. I don't know the proper mechanics of truly loving relationships, but I know how strongly he felt about you, and I thought you'd like to know as well. _

_Speaking of relationships, I'm beginning to question my own with James. I mean, he's funny, smart, handsome, charming, and everything that a girl should wish for in a relationship, but I don't know if he's right for me. Everyone says how good we are together and, though it makes me shudder at the thought, how we should get married, but I'm not entirely sure I want to settle down and marry the first person I kiss. It just doesn't feel right. And, because this has to be a melodramatic situation where I blow everything out of proportion and you are the onlooker, praying that your daughter will find the right guy some day and settle down in a house with a white picket fence and have 2.4 kids and a dog, I'm thinking about someone else. But I know this someone else would provide great cause to gossip. He isn't exactly my age. Think three years older than me and working at his dad's joke shop._

_Fred and I have been talking a lot recently, or rather writing. We saw each other in the holidays a lot, but I was always with James and things seemed awkward between us, but through letters it's far more relaxed. I don't know why, but I'm drawn to him. He, like James, is funny, charming, damn good looking, smart, but he also has a sense of maturity, and he knows me better than I think I know myself sometimes. It's ridiculous, childish and girly, but I really am attracted to him. Then there's still James though, who would probably blow a fuse if he ever found out that I was attracted to someone else whilst I was still in a relationship with him._

_James aside, McGonagall decided to start having Hogsmede visits earlier this year, so the first one is tomorrow. James is on patrol for this one, and then he's going to head back up here for some Quidditch practice (ugh, boys). I've talked to Fred and we've decided to meet in the Three Broomsticks for his lunch break. He's working at the Hogsmede branch of the joke shop. I can only hope that it was a joke when he offered to meet me in Madam Puddifoot's. That place is Hell in shades of pink. I remember when James asked me to accompany him there in fifth year. He couldn't understand why I was so desperate to leave. He thought it was 'romantic'. Ew._

_Anyway, because you're my mum and I feel like keeping you up to date, I'm so nervous for tomorrow. Do all teenage girls go through this sort of thing? It kind of, in a way, reminds me of what dad wrote in his diary about the masquerade Halloween ball in your seventh year. Was it romantic? Dad said that you kissed, and that it was the best kiss of his life. Do you want me to send you the diary so you can read it? I thought you might like to read what he said about the night though, so I managed to create a duplicate copy of the entry for you:_

October 31

It was perfect. _She_ was perfect. When I first saw her all dressed up, I couldn't believe my eyes. I never knew how beautiful she was. I wanted nothing more than to scoop her up into my arms and keep her as my own, but I feel that would have been rather indecent of me. Instead we proceeded to the Great Hall, as was expected of us. Of course, no one knew who we were, but we got a lot of stares from the people we passed. I wish I could say it was because of me, but Hermione was truly radiant.

As soon as we got into the Hall, we were greeted by the Weaselette and Potter. I had to be on my best behaviour, so I actually shook Potter's hand. I don't think anyone was expecting that, but I have to admit, Hermione was beaming. The night was going flawlessly. I had tried to bury the feelings I felt for her deep inside of me, but seeing her like that made it impossible. We danced, we ate, and we were conversing quite cheerfully with Potter and the Weaselette when that utter git, the Weasel himself saw us holding hands, and decided that making a scene would be the way to make the evening amazing. He stormed over, tried to get me to back off, I didn't and he left the Hall quite angrily.

Hermione, understandably, was quite tense, so I got her to dance until it became too hot in the Hall for the both of us. We left into the gardens, and that's when everything became incredible. We kissed. I never for a moment thought that I would be kissing Hermione Granger, but I did, and it was indescribable. Everything was perfect. She was perfect. The scene was perfect. The kiss was perfect. I've kissed a fair few girls in my lifetime, but there is no doubt in my mind that this was something special, that _this_ was more than just a kiss.

But I suppose that everything comes to an end. We broke apart and went back into the Hall before returning here shortly afterwards, and now I'm in my room listening to the water in bathroom run and her sobs. I don't know what I've done wrong, and I don't know why I care so much. She's been in the shower for over an hour now. Is she trying to drown herself?

_That's the end of it. I know the reason for your excessively long shower now, but poor dad. He mustn't have had any idea about it. There's an entry a couple pages later where he was just berating himself the entire time, but there was no mention of why. Care to share, mum?_

_Anyway, it's getting late and I have to be up to get ready for tomorrow with Fred. I'm so nervous, even though I know it isn't a proper date. He's too old for me, and why would he be interested in me anyway?_

_Lots of love,_

_Charlotte_

The End

**A/N: That's the end of it all. I would like to give a humungous thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favourited, or had anything to do with this story! I don't think I'll be continuing to write as Charlotte or Hermione. That's the end of the line in this story line. I may think about doing some one-shots, and I still have my story "Threads", which isn't a romance but features Hermione, and Draco should make an appearance soon. Thank you once again to everyone, and goodnight.**


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